


In The Line of Fire

by NatalieSchmatalie



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, IfYouLookVeryHardYouCanSeeOneSidedSans/Reader, M/M, Reader Is Not Frisk, Romance, Skippable Smut, Slow Burn, Violence, first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 22:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5719930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatalieSchmatalie/pseuds/NatalieSchmatalie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An awkward unfolding of your feelings for your boss, and him being completely oblivious. For now, you two are just friends. But a series of unfortunate events bring you closer than you thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day Dreaming

It had been a long night tonight at Grillby's and all you wanted was to go home. You were tired, grumpy, and all around worn out from all the running around you've been doing. The orders had been coming in like crazy, one from table two, three from table twelve, a hot tea for the gentlemonster at the end of the bar, two vodka martinis for the regular bunny monster over at the corner table, etc. Etc. It was hard to keep up without messing up the orders, but you managed, and it helped that your boss was flawless at his job. Even if you did mess up, he would fix any mistakes in a heartbeat.  
Don't get it wrong though, even if the place was overflowing with customers and many more lined up out the door, nothing could ever stop you from loving your job. It was always warm and inviting, enveloping you in a comfortable hug as soon as you walked in the door, letting you know you were welcome.

Some nights were more somber than others when the place was near empty and the occasional customer would come through, spilling every miserable detail of their night, or day, or year, or even life. The experience of being part of the waiting staff had made you grateful about your place in this world even if it was a simple one, learning from the stories you heard, many people had been through worse hell than you could have ever imagined. It was sad to hear those nights, but many of the downtrodden customers would often thank you for your patient listening, and you were at least glad that you could provide them with some comfort. Sometimes without Grillby noticing you would slip freebies to the customers who really deserved it, however, you always thought that if he did know about your actions, he would approve of them. That's just the way he is.

That's the... "cool" thing about Grillby. He was always selfless and treated all of his customers with the utmost respect. As a man of few words, he mostly showed his gratitude and appreciation through actions, and they always had been generous and kind. All of his actions always had a very important gesture behind them, and they were always precise that his meanings behind them were never misconstrued. Many nights he had given customers - mainly new people who had come for the first time - orders on the house.

There was one instance, you remember, that there was a huge party of humans that had come in. They weren't the usual horror story of human rambunctiousness, but instead they were very polite and patient. They had come in completely new to monsterkind and they had admitted to you that they had come to take in and learn about monster culture, learning that humans and monsters weren't so different after all. Hearing this had made you swell with pride, for once feeling glad to be a part of the human race. You were so happy that you ran to the kitchen where Grillby was preparing someone's meal and gushed to your monster friend about it, telling him how much you appreciated the fact that at least some other humans were making an effort to come together and accept monsterkind. The human group had not yet seen the man made of fire, so when you had come back with their food and Grillby trailing behind you, they were enraptured by the way he looked and the way he held himself. Grillby had bowed to the table gently and his flames flickered brightly, signifying he was pleased to hear that there were other kind souls in the human world. The table at the time had asked questions about the history of the underground, how he ran his bar on the surface with all of the humans that didn't support him, and one of them even asked how he could operate the bar without hurting himself, since he was made of fire and the drinks were, well, liquid AND flammable. He politely answered all the questions, each of the humans smiling and listening intently, really soaking in the information of monster history and occasional personal snippets of information, without being too personal of course.

After a few minutes had gone by, they thanked him for his service and being so helpful. He then nodded, took a pen out of his vest pocket, wrote something on the bill, and left. You knew exactly what he was doing and you glowed with happiness as you walked a little ways away and turned to watch the group, waiting for their reaction as one of the human boys flipped over the check. You remember that his jaw flew wide open and he immediately swung his head over towards the bar area where you were grinning like an idiot. You loved when Grillby did that sort of thing. It just showed his gratitude. That he really loves what he does and doesn't care about the money.

You caught yourself smiling now just thinking about it. Ever since you started working here your life had improved by so much. It really gave you something to look forward to every night.

"_____... ey yo, kiddo." You heard from the first barstool settled just a little bit to your left, startling you out of your memory. It was Sans. A regular customer who came in nearly every night. He was a skeleton monster who liked to tell bad jokes and make puns. A lot of people hated them, which made you a little bit sad. You never once gave the skeleton a pity laugh. Every chuckle, giggle, or full on gut busting laugh, was always, always genuine. "you were day dreaming again. you're gonna get in trouble if you keep wanderin' off like that. by the way, there were three new parties that just came in, better get goin or else the boss'll get real FIRED up."

You shot him a playful glare as he just grinned, eventually sauntering off. You flipped open your order booklet, scoffed, and rolled your eyes, preparing yourself again for the rest of the busy night.


	2. Bus-y Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are busy. Sans is a scoundrel. And Grillby exists. Enjoy.

The next hour of work consisted of both running between the last three tables that came in, getting them all of the orders and refills they so pleased, and batting off the small skeleton who wouldn't stop bothering you with incessant fire-based puns. 

"what's the matter? can't take the heat?" Your eyes lidded heavily with exhaustion. "Hmph. Come on, Sans. Gimme a break for just one night. It's packed in here and I'm having a hard time staying awake. Please. I appreciate the puns as much as the next guy, but with all that I have, I'm begging you. Not tonight." Sans loved to pester you about your fondness for your boss. He knew that you had a crush on him, and he used it as black mail sometimes for small favors and extra bottles of ketchup from the stock in back. 

You put one water and three other monster drinks, something called Ice Pale Ale that originated in Snowdin underground, on a tray and slowly lifted it up to bring it to one of the tables making sure to balance them without dropping them, and scooted quickly away from Sans. He turned around and shouted out to you as you walked away from him and his dumb shit-eating grin.

"aw c'mon, kid! where's the fire?!" His voice trailed behind you, causing you to walk just a little faster, and your face to contort, trying your hardest not to smile. Because you know, even if he couldn't see you, he'd know you smiled. You were sure even now with your face all scrunched up, you lost the battle in trying to convince him he wasn't funny. 

"Here are your orders! One water for you, sir, and three of.. these. For you guys! Enjoy! If you need anything else tonight, just wave me over okay?" You smiled politely and turned to leave the party to their business, trying to get a glance at the clock to check for closing time, when you ran face first into another person. You stumbled backward, bumping off of another table behind you which had yet to be bussed. You heard silverware jingle. 

With your eyes closed, you rubbed the pain in your nose from the soft impact, groaning lightly as you stepped away from the support of the table. As you did, you felt a hand hastily land on your shoulder, as if with concern. You opened one eye, the other still hard shut with a hand over your nose, and looked up. You suddenly straightened, bringing your hands in front of you, both eyes bolting open. 

"S-sir!" 

Grillby stood in front of you, a look of concern on his face. He tilted his head down towards you, as if you ask if you were alright. 

"I'm sorry, Grillby I should have watched where I was going. Heh, you know me, clumsy. I'll try to keep a better lookout next ti-" He lifted his hand slowly, signaling you to stop. You nodded and smiled weakly, trying hard not to blush or look away from your embarrassment. You always wanted to impress him, but you being clumsy wasn't a lie. You had dropped more glasses in this place than you ever had in an entire lifetime. It was never nervousness though. Your composure around your interest was impeccable, it even surprised you sometimes. It was easier as long as there were others around to distract you, and tonight's rushing around was perfect to keep you in check.  
A soft crackle of embers appeared above his flame tips and his face turned a deeper orange. This was his version of a chuckle. Of course, he had a voice he could do it with, but for some reasons you didn't know, he used his flames to communicate while at the bar. He flicked his hand on his wrist and pointed at the clock on the wall. It was midnight. You were half an hour off the clock and yet you were still working. With all of your being wanting to go home and go to sleep, you fought against yourself in order to stay just a little longer.

"Well, look at that. Guess I just can't stay away from this place! Don't worry about it Grillbz. I'll bus this table and wipe down those ones once those customers leave. Then I'll go home. No big deal!" You smiled at him, waving off the time clock like it was nothing. He looked perplexed, shaking his head at you and gesturing toward the clock again, bringing his hand up to tell you no, and to leave. Of course, you don't take it for an answer. Again, you loved your job, so an extra half an hour cleaning up didn't bother you any, plus, it's always nice to have the place alone with your skeleton buddy and your fiery friend, no matter how tired you were.

You immediately turned toward the table and began picking up the leftover glasses, plates and silverware, donning a cute smile as you walked passed your commander. He was never TOO pushy with orders. He knew that if he couldn't stop you, he wouldn't. He never was mad, just wishing you would take better care of yourself. You had sacrificed many hours off the clock, and while he was always grateful for help, he knew he could take care of the after-shift himself. That was an issue you had realized. You were both as generous as the other, so you sacrificed a lot of yourself to please the boss. Well, it wasn't just the boss, you tried to please everyone, but lately, you just wanted to make him happy. It was both a blessing and a curse you had been handed in life. 

Soon after you had cleaned off the table and the rest of the patrons left the bar, you began wiping off the bar counter and tables that had been neglected from the busy night. The blue coated skeleton was still sitting at the bar having a conversation with the burning bartender, who was cleaning out some of the glasses that you had bussed over there. Sans was glancing at you every now and then, watching you clean up shop, knowing that you had done this not only to be helpful, but also to stay a little bit longer with the two of them. Well, mostly Grillby, but he knew that his company was always appreciated too. That made him feel good.  
"well," he said with his natural grin, one eye socket closed and another with his white dot of a pupil glancing to you, "i dunno about you, but this skelebro's flame is burnt out. i guess i oughta head out. thanks for the drinks. Night." You whipped around quickly as nervous sirens went off in your head, eyes widening and fists clenching, and as soon as you turned to plead him not to go, he vanished into thin air. 

All that was left was the quiet atmosphere of the snow outside, and if it were any louder, the sound of your heartbeat could echo through the empty establishment. Sans had left, and all that remained was you and your boss until you completed your self-given work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooooooooo. Wat gonna happin??????


	3. To The Movies?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All that was left was the quiet atmosphere of the snow outside, and if it were any louder, the sound of your heartbeat could echo through the empty establishment. Sans had left, and all that remained was you and your boss until you completed your self-given work.

Realising you were alone with the very person you wanted to be alone with made your palms start to sweat while they were clenched, clamped tightly onto the sides of your apron. Of course, at this moment you weren't sure what you wanted. A part of you kind of wanted Sans to change his mind and come back. And suddenly, you realised, you weren't tired anymore.

Your mind began to race with thoughts of how you could screw this up, ways this could go terribly wrong, and worst of all, things that could go terribly right. A blush crept up your face.

You slowly and calmly turned back around, unlocking your hands from your clothes, and continued wiping off the table, mind still running about your current predicament. The smell of the Clorox you had grabbed from the closet after everyone left flooded your nostrils as you finished this table. Once you were done you gathered the towels and cleaning solution to put them back in the closet in the back of the kitchen area. As you adjusted the nozzle of the Clorox bottle it dawned on you that you had to walk passed Grillby to put your supplies away. 

When you were ready to go, you composed yourself as best as you could, and with your faux air of confidence, you walked tall toward the bar area. Grillby had been putting glasses back underneath the bar counter for when you opened again tomorrow. He raised his head and looked over to you as you moved toward him. He nodded at you and you smiled back, screaming inside. 

It really shouldn't have been a problem for you. There has always been good vibes between the two of you and since you started working here the two of you had become relatively good friends. Although, there hadn't been a time, you recalled, where you two had been absolutely alone. But you two had talked all the time, you knew each other pretty well, and on occasion he would accompany Sans when the family wanted to do something fun on days you both had off. The family, of course, consisted of a big conglomerate of monsters. Toriel and Asgore, the goat looking monsters; Sans and his taller, more enthusiastic brother Papyrus; Undyne and Alphys, the fresh newlyweds; and the human who freed the underground themself, Frisk. Mettaton and Napstablook tagged along a lot, too. Since you started working at the bar you had gotten close with all of them through Sans. The family was hectic most of the time, but you didn't mind. It made your life just a little more interesting. 

You entered through the back door and placed all of the cleaning material back into their designated places, grabbing your jacket from the coat hanger, pulling your arms through the thick sleeves and slipping the rest of the coat over your shoulders. You decided to wait to button it before you left, just so you wouldn't get too overheated on your way out. The coat was made of wool, making sure you were warm in the sub-zero winter temperatures. You blushed again involuntarily and a nervous feeling started to churn in your stomach, giving you a bad case of butterflies. 

You had started to button up your coat anyway to make it look like that was what was making you hot when you heard the door open, and out of the corner of your eye there was a soft glow radiating beside you. Grillby was bringing back some plates that he cleaned off so he could have them stocked and ready the next morning before you opened. It was too late to do it now, and even HE got tired every once in a while. You did your best not to stare at him as he placed them on shelves, each having a label marked "small plates", "medium plates", and "large plates". You decided that it was best to just leave, feeling anxious to get out of this situation, but also to avoid any awkward encounters from just standing in the same room together. 

The kitchen door pushed open under the force of your push, which was a little rougher than it should have been due to your nerves. You made your way to the front door, weaving through the tables, pushing chairs in that hadn't yet been put back where they belonged. 

"...Thank you for staying to help tonight. Even if you didn't need to." A deep, smooth voice from the back end of the room sent chills down your spine. You knew it was Grillby's voice, not only because he was the only one here besides you, but because you could pick his voice out of anything. It was beautiful and sexy both at the same time, reminding you of a smooth warm cup of hot chocolate with just a splash of spicy cinnamon on a chilled night. It made you melt, you could be putty in his hands if he so desired. He had spoken to you a good number of times, but this time had caught you off guard. Usually you would tell him to have a good night and he would just nod at you. This was new.

You opened your mouth to speak, praying that your voice wouldn't crack when you replied. "Oh, really it was no problem. I enjoy helping out. Makes the load easier on you, y'know?" You smiled as you paused to take a deep breath. He nodded at you, fire swaying slightly back and forth with his movement. The silence lingered just a few seconds longer than it needed to and you rolled back and forth on your feet, swinging your arms in opposite directions from side to side. You puffed up your cheeks and let out a slow stream out of the side of your mouth. He had lifted his head up to see if you were still there, and you immediately stopped, tensing up at his stare. 

"Well. Have a good night Grillby. I'll see you tomorrow." You turned on your heels and headed towards the door.

"_______. Wait." 

He called to you and you stopped dead in your tracks, casually turning your head behind you, "What's up boss?" Your voice was steady, but your stomach had dropped about twenty feet into the ground. The sound of your name coming out of his lips was one of your favorite things and you could feel your face getting warmer and warmer. Your palms were getting sweaty again too and you shoved them in your pockets. 

"Next week. There is this new movie coming out," his voice was slow and calculated, light to the ears and perfectly flawless, "I've never been to a human movie theater. I invited Sans, but he didn't want to attend. Would you like to see it after we get out of work on Friday? Since you are human after all. I figured it would be a better idea if I were to be with you." You couldn't believe your ears. If it wasn't obvious before, your face was definitely ten different shades of red, it could give the actual man made of fire a run for his money. It took everything you had in you not to freak out, screaming like a maniac and cheering like you had scored your team the game winning goal. 

"Heh. Uh. Sure, Grillby," you stumbled over your words, having a hard time replying normally. He had taken it the wrong way.

"If you do not wish to go, I can live without it."

"No!" You exclaimed maybe just a little too eagerly. You wanted to test some waters between the two of you; try to see whether he wanted you too or if he was just being friendly, "of course, I'd love to go, I was just caught off guard is all."

"Hm. Good then. I had realized that even though we have known each other for a while, I'd never invited you to do anything. I'm not entirely sure what you like, so I could never find something." It surprised you how much he was talking currently. Most of the time he would say short sentences at a time. They were never weak or wavering, but just short and self explanatory. You wondered if he might be nervous in asking you, but his flames were just as normal as ever as he awaited another response.

Your heart leapt out of your chest. Grillby had asked you to go to the movies, alone, just the two of you. Your hands got jittery and your knees got weak, making you struggle to keep yourself up. It was as good of a time as any to ask your next question, although you made it sound like a joke, even if it was what you really wanted.

"Pfft, this isn't a date is it, Grillby? If you wanted an excuse to be alone you could have just asked." Grillby didn't even flinch. He looked at you once more and tilted his head a tiny smidge to the left.

"... I hadn't planned on it being one."

Meh... 

You smiled politely back and giggled a little. It didn't hurt you, and you were only a tiny bit disappointed at the fact it was just as friends, but, either way you would be with Grillby for a whole night outside of work. Just the thought of that made you very happy.

"I'm just joking with you, boss. I'd love to go as friends," you waved him off as you slowly shuffled to the door again, "Have a good night Grillby. Get home safe and get some sleep, okay? It's way past your bedtime." By this point it was nearly one in the morning. You could feel your eyes were heavy and you started to get rather tired again after glancing at the clock. Grillby chuckled and straightened himself from behind the bar counter and he raised his hand to wave you goodbye.

"I suppose I could be telling you the same thing. You should have been home two hours ago. Next time I'm going to kick you out." A laugh rolled out of your mouth. You thought that his joking was always cute. It was playful without pushing any boundaries, and a breath of fresh air compared to the other methods people use for humor nowadays. 

Your hand had finally reached the handle of the exit and you pulled open the door, a waft of freezing air coming in and brushing over your face, causing your hair to rustle. You were kind of grateful for the breeze, it had helped cool you off a bit from the night. You stepped outside, waving one last time as you turned and closed the door behind you. You saw another small nod as his light grew darker with the slow closing of Grillby's entrance. The snow on the sidewalk crunched under your feet as you walked down the street to your house, face lowered into the collar of your jacket while you powered against the wind. A smile spread across your face when thoughts of next week's outing came to mind, wondering what it would be like to go to a movie with a literal walking campfire. Seating charts formed in your head as well as what type of snacks he may like or what other things you two could possibly do together. 

A week was too long for you to wait. You were already anxious, and finally, your elation came out in one big burst as you reached the door to your home, jumping up and down, squealing out inhuman sounds into the night sky, letting all of your excitement out before you stepped into your house to finally get some rest. You opened the door, immediately unbuttoned your coat, flung it on the couch, and went straight to your room, cuddling your pillow. It wasn't even a few minutes before you fell asleep. And when you did, you fell asleep with a smile on your face.


	4. Getting Rattled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is very protective of his friends and is a little worried about the human movie theater.

It had been exactly a week since Grillby had asked you to the movies. Each day had passed so slowly, dragging on for what seemed like years, but finally tomorrow the two of you would be together enjoying a film for the night after work. You dug through your closet for something to wear while grabbing your work clothes from the pile you left them in the night before. You might not always be perfectly punctual, but you did like to be ready ahead of time. It was never easy for you to pick out an outfit for fancy occasions, mostly because you didn't really own anything fancy. Although, a movie really isn't the most extravagant event, and it had already been reassured that it wasn't a date, but you still wanted to look your absolute best for the evening. Perhaps if you wore something nice, he might be able to find you beautiful, you thought. 

You rummaged more through the closet, and much to your surprise, you still had old clothes from your high school and even middle school days that you no longer fit into and needed to throw out. You were never good with organization, and sometimes it bordered on the edge of hording, but you decided that this weekend you would take the time to finally clean it all out.

Eventually through all of your scrounging and tossing of clothes that just didn't meet your standards, you came across a black, slimming, long sleeved shirt that draped of the shoulders. You hadn't remembered when you bought it, but you didn't ponder it too much because it was perfect. When in doubt black had always looked good on you, and you thanked whatever higher power there was that you somehow had this hanging in the closet. 

You set the shirt and a pair of light blue jeans over on the dresser. You would bring them to work with you tomorrow and change in the back room just after the shift was over before you left. 

You pulled on your work clothes and walked out into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the dishwasher and a box of your favorite cereal from the top of the shelf. As you opened the fridge you realized that you had forgotten again to buy milk the last time you were out, and while groaning, you ate the cereal dry. You sauntered out into the living room, still a little miffed about there being no milk in the house, and pulled off your thick, wool coat off the coat hanger. After checking over that you had everything you needed, keys to the bar in your coat pocket, your phone, your dignity even after eating cereal bone dry; you headed out of the door and headed to work.  
______________________________________

When you arrived, Sans was already sitting in the seat he always sat in at the bar slouching just a little over the bar counter. Smiling, you walked towards him, unbuttoning your coat along the way. The heat from the room instantly melting away any chill that still might have clung to you from the outside.  
"Hello, Sans," you said cheerfully, "did the big man get you your drink already, or can I grab you one?" At the sound of your voice, he immediately perked up, eyes containing his natural glow, and his grin as grin-y as ever.  
"heya, kiddo. nah, he didn't get me one yet, too busy with food in the back, a couple ruff-ians over there got here first."  


At first, the word ruffians had sent you into a panic. You had dealt with an angry customer only once, and it ended with a gash on your stomach, and a scortch on the table. Both your uniform and the table had been replaced, but you never really felt comfortable around drunk customers anymore. It doesn't bother you too much, but nowadays whenever someone new comes in you exercise extreme caution whenever they take too many drinks.

However, your concern was pushed aside once you realized that what he meant by "Ruff-ians" was the group of dog monsters that visited the place pretty frequently. Doggo, Greater Dog, Lesser Dog, the couple Dogamy and Dogaressa, and.. the other one that looked like a dog? sat at the table playing some cards. Awkwardly laughing yourself off, you grabbed a bottle of Heinz Ketchup - the good stuff - from the back of the bar, set it in front of the skeleton, and dismissed yourself to go see the dogs. You didn't even bother taking off your coat yet.

"Howdy fellas!" You said as you settled yourself between the couple and Doggo. Placing a friendly hand on Doggo's shoulder as he turned around to see who it was.  
"Hey!" He shouted upon realization, his voice gruffy from recently smoking a dog treat. The other dogs just barked in excitement, as if they hadn't seen you coming from the bar.  
"How are all you doing this evening? Anything you need? Technically I haven't started my shift yet, gotta go punch in, but I can still getcha somethin if you want."  
"If you wouldn't mind too much-"  
"-we would just like some more water please-"  
"-Grillby took our order already-"  
"-but this game is so intense we can't stop drinking!"  
The Dogamy and Dogaressa spoke up both at the same time, each finishing each others sentences. You thought that the two were so cute, but sometimes the over romanticism got a little overbearing. Like the one time Dogaressa spilled her water over herself and Dogamy had howled blood-curdlingly as if she had just gotten shot. It was a weird, intense love they had for each other, but you thought if someone deserved to feel like that, it should always be them.

The others only shook their heads at your question, and you proceeded to take the glasses over to the sink. While you were over there, you quickly slid off your coat and slipped it into the kitchen and onto coat hanger. You flipped on the sink at the far corner of the bar table and placed the cups under the cold tap. Once they were filled, you took a towel from the ie of the bar and wiped off the glasses, ridding them of any trace of water, just in case Grillby needed to pick them up. Small dropplets of water didn't usually hurt him, but you just wanted to be safe. The fact that you could ever possibly hurt him made you extremely cautious. If you were to ever cause him any harm, you don't know what you'd do with yourself.

Just as you started to bring over the water to Dogamy and Dogaressa, you heard Sans speak up from his place at the bar, though his voice seemed closer than he was.  
"so kid, i hear you're headed to the movies tomorrow night huh?" You wilted. If anything, you didn't want Sans to know about that just yet. His pestering would never cease, you could feel it.  
"Yessir. Grillby and I are going to see this history movie. He seems really excited to learn more about human history. Well, as excited as he can get anyway." Sans chuckled at your remark.  
"yeah, he's pretty excited. the other day i thought i saw a smile comin off the guy. i tell ya, it coulda LIT UP the entire room." Now you chuckled. Again with the puns. You had never gotten tired of them, even if sometimes they pushed some boundaries. 

"although i have to tell you." His eyes suddenly disappeared from his eye sockets, leaving just a dark, black pair of holes in his face. Accompanied by his permanent smile, you were filled with a sense of dread. Not once in your entire time at the bar had you ever seen him like this.  
"people that come into this bar, they respect us here. but the people out there past our monster district, save for a few, are the real monsters. i worry for the both of you. as my friends, i can't bear to think what could happen if things went wrong out there. so trust me kid, if you go, you better watch your back. those humans will turn on their own kind in a heartbeat if they see you there with him. im sure he can take care of himself, but who knows. i don't want either of you hurt, understand? you better promise that you'll get out of there as soon as something turns sour."

Your eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Of course you knew that some people still didn't accept monsters, and you were a little apprehensive about a human theater, but it never crossed your mind that someone would actually have the guts to attack the two of you. Worry washed over you while you tried to think of an appropriate response.  
"Sans..." He wasn't looking at you. His gaze was fixed to the counter in front of him, staring blankly ahead, waiting for your reply.  
"I promise we'll be safe...," you tried to reassure him, "and I promise, that if things go bad, we'll get right out. Okay? And I mean, I know a couple people that work there. I'm sure it'll all be just fine." With the glasses in your hand, you slightly shrugged, making sure not to spill anything.

Sans' head raised just a little bit, and his pupils came back, even if they were more dull than usual.  
"Besides, a certain skeleton friend of mine has some super special magic or whatever, I'm sure if anything were to go wrong he could sense it and come rescue his damsels in distress. He'd have a BONE to pick with them, perhaps?" You winked playfully toward the boney man. His demeanor shifted slightly back to normal, looking at you through the corners of his eye sockets.  
"i dunno if papyrus is that good, buddy. as cool as he is, you might as well be waiting for a rock to get there faster." You giggled and gently shoved him, causing him to laugh with you.  
"heh. thanks, kid."  
"No problem," you smiled, "but if you are so concerned, then why did you refuse to go?"  
"kid, honestly, is it that hard? you two need some time alone. he doesn't realize it yet, but you two are cute as hell. figurin maybe he'll come around without me in the picture y'know? besides, it won't be that hard to get all HOT and bothered, right?" Your face burned with embarrassment, the entirety of your body filling up with heat. You could have been compared with the shade of the ketchup bottle and nobody would be able to tell the difference. You scolded Sans quietly for his remarks, grabbing a brochure from an advertisement stand and softly whacking him on the head with it. 

Once you both had relaxed, you took the glasses of water and started to take them over to the dogs. You heard the door behind you open, and with a tray of food, Grillby stood there, his fire glowing a bit brighter after seeing you had arrived. You smiled kindly at him and offered to take the tray over so he didn't have to. Nodding steadily, he placed the tray of food down on the counter for you and walked over to Sans, where he had just finished the bottle of ketchup you gave him when you first walked in.  
You put the glasses of water down on the food tray, looking over to the dogs table to check on how they were. Dogamy and Dogaressa were huddled over, panting crazily as if they were suffering heat stroke. A giggle rippled through your throat and you lifted the food with both hands, moving to carry it over the table.

The rest of the night had gone smoothly. The place didn't get bombarded with customers, but it was also not close to being empty. The orders came in, everything went easy, and before you knew it, the night was over and it was time to go home. With a wave from you, and a nod from your boss, you pulled on your coat and walked home, prancing giddily down the street. Tomorrow you would be going to the movies with Grillby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the date! I mean... NOT date! 
> 
> Things will not go as planned.


	5. To The Movies!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things really didn't go as planned did they? But perhaps, that's a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this just as I should be going to bed for work, so it might be shitty quality. BUT! It's extra long this time, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

It was finally Friday morning and through the part of your curtains hanging on the window there shone a thin, soft ray of sunlight, gracefully laying itself over the top of your dresser and stretching itself over to you, where you were laying in your bed, still asleep. The light gently pushed at your eyes, causing enough light to stir you awake. As you leaned up and out of your covers, drowsily stretching and yawning from your sudden wake, you stared at the dust particles gleaming in the light peeking in from your window. Your first thought was that today was going to be a great day.

You pulled on your work clothes, packed your not date clothes in a bag, and went to work.

___________________________________________________

Well, work was not what you expected. The moment you got there, customers were yelling for you left and right, the place bustling with activity, even more so than usual. You didn't even have the time to take off your coat. You ran to the bar, waving to Sans quickly as you grabbed your order booklet from behind the counter, throwing your bag of not date clothes into a small shelf under the counter, and rushed off. All he did was wink at you, and continued to drink a bottle of ketchup that was already left out to him. 

Taking order after order, rushing around the place like a chicken with their head cut off, you started to sweat. The heat of the warm coat roasting you with all of the exercise you had gotten tonight. Still without time to run into the back to take it off, you decided it would just be quick and easy to unbutton it, letting out the hot air, and saving time to run and get other orders placed. You ran up to a table that had the usual dog monsters at it and huffed softly, trying to catch your breath.  
"Hey guys... can I uh... take your orders?" You said slowly, sweat slightly coating your brow, pen to paper in your hands, ready to jot down whatever it was and deliver it to chef Grillby before running back to the bar and getting drinks for people there, and delivering food to other tables once it was ready.  
"Heya, kid," said Doggo in his normal scratchy voice, "I see you're having a ruff time out there. We'll make it quick, we promise."  
"Yes!-"  
"-we promise!"

The two other dogs barked in reply, and the conglomerate of dog monsters just drooled intently. Once you had those orders done, you speed walked to the back of the bar counter, mixing drinks quickly for monsters who were sitting at the stools in front of you, and placing a new strikingly red bottle of ketchup in front of Sans, who just watched as you fumbled over yourself, trying to keep up with the pace of everyone else. You were only one person and you were trying the best you could. Sometimes you hated Friday night bar hours.

You struggled to ignore the skeleton just a few feet away from you, making constant speed puns, and, to your surprise, a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog memes. You didn't know how he found out about those, but then you also decided that, it was Sans, and you didn't question it any further. Your laughter could be heard throughout the whole bar as you continued to hand out drinks to the patrons in front of you. Heat washed over you again, but you still didn't stop to strip off your hot coat. 

Suddenly, amidst your pouring of drinks, you felt hands snake over your shoulders and onto the opening of your unbuttoned jacket, warm fingers lightly brushing your collarbone as they grabbed onto the piece of clothing. Intense shivers ran down your spine and you froze, placing the alcohol and the glass you were pouring it into on the bar table a little harder than you should have. The hands softly tugged and it slid off your shoulders, bringing your arms back, and ultimately taking the coat off your body. The gesture should have cooled you down, but right now, all you could feel was intense heat. 

You turned around and found yourself in front of Grillby, flames as bright as ever, holding your wool jacket in his hands. His light shone brighter as if to smile at you. If you were any hotter you could have seen smoke coming out of your ears. A bright red blush painted your entire face, and the realization of what he had just done hit you, and your mind was certainly making the situation worse for you. A faint snicker could be heard from Sans' corner of the room.  
"Oh, heh, th-thanks, Grillby." You smiled nervously, knees ready to cave in at any point, still warm at the thought of his fingers brushing on your collarbone. The sound of the door opening behind you must have been muffled by all of the people's requests that you didn't even notice he had come through. 

At first, he just nodded to you, but then he tilted his head, concern growing on his face. He then held up his hand and placed it on your forehead, which sent you into an even deeper spiral into Grillby Hell. He kept it there for a few moments, you having no clue why he was touching you again, when it suddenly dawned on you that he was checking your temperature.

He thought you had a fever.

He had mistaken your flustered face as a sign that you were sick. Since he was made of fire you weren't sure exactly how he could check your temperature, but you then remembered that he was still touching you, so the question was quickly flushed from your mind. 

His hand fell from your forehead, the feeling of his warmth quickly fading from your skin. He used it to point at the door, asking if you wanted to leave for the night. You let out a small laugh and waved him off. If he thought you were sick, he would send you home, and being sent home would mean no movie, so you had to convince him you were okay to stay, especially if sickness wasn't the problem you were currently facing. Words slipped from your mouth before you had time to even think, your mind currently just a pile of scrambled eggs.  
"N-no, Grillby I'm fine. It's just busy in here, I didn't have time to take off my coat, plus you're made of fire so you're kind of hot anyways-"

Oh no.

Those words actually fell from your mouth. Thank the Gods that nobody could read your mind or else all they would hear would be a constant, high-pitched screech. Grillby looked at you, imaginary dots hanging over his head. If you could die right now, you would welcome the sweet embrace of death, hands clutching so hard at your apron you could swear that you tore it a little.  
Eventually, small sparks flew from the tips of his flames, and he just shook his head at Sans. Clearly he thought you two were hanging out too much, and he walked back to the kitchen to fix up the backed up orders, holding your coat firmly in his left hand. Once he was out of sight, you finished the last drink for the last counter patron, thanking whatever Gods existed that, inadvertently, Sans had saved your skin with the power of his puns. It wasn't even worth looking at him to know that he had a wide smile on his face. All you did was put a weak thumbs up toward his direction, hunched over the counter hiding your face, giving yourself a little time to let your skin return to its natural peach glow.  
You picked up the tray of food and went on to deliver it. It would make you feel better, you thought, if you could just forget that had ever happened.

_________________________________________________________________

After work was over, it was finally time to get ready to go. A sick feeling twisted in your stomach as one by one you watched the customers leave the bar. You wrung a small segment of your apron in your hands and went back behind the bar to grab your bag, Sans still sitting there, one eye lingering on you. An obvious pun was about to be made. You could feel it in your bones.  
"Well, good luck with your hot date."  
That was all he said before he disappeared. You don't think you would have even given the effort to give a witty reply. The plastic bag crinkled in your grasped after you bent down to pick it up. You pushed the back door open and walked over to the private employee bathroom at the back of the room, walking passed Grillby to get there. He was putting on his own coat as you went. 

After locking the door to the restroom, you swiftly shed your work clothes and changed into your not date clothes, black shirt slimming you down, making you look incredible coupled with the jeans you put on. After that was done you walked out of the door and grabbed your coat from the coat hangar, buttoning yourself up and walking over to Grillby, ready to go. He nodded to you after shutting down all the lights, making sure the place was closed down for the night.  
When you left the kitchen, you looked up at the clock to check the time. The movies show time was set for 12:30, the last showing for the night. It had just struck midnight, and the walk to the theater was about 20 minutes from Grillby's to the Human District.  
"Alright. To the movies!" You smiled and said gleefully, bumping Grillby's arm teasingly. Gestures like that were common for you to do, but him touching you never usually occurred. You wondered if earlier's contact meant that you two were a bit closer than you have been.  
"Yes. Let us go."  
______________________________________________________________

The walk was cold and the stares you got from the occasional onlooker were even colder. You knew that the relationship between monsters and humans was still a little unstable, but you had no idea that it was this bad. It didn't really help that your accompaniment was a walking flame; you couldn't exactly prevent yourself from being seen. His flames glowed brightly in the darkness of the night, and sometimes a snowflake would fall in the light, creating a small glimmer as if to accent his perfection. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. 

For a moment, that was enough to distract you from the sneers you got from the humans on the street, but eventually you were violently dragged back to reality when a group of people shouted rude comments in your general direction. A familiar man with a blue beanie and a scared eye stood out among the crowd, but you couldn't place his face anywhere.  
"Look at that! Disgusting. Aren't human people good enough for you? You have to resort to fucking some grotesque monster to get you off? Sick!"

Grillby's flames grew slightly redder. You had never seen him mad except for the time the angry customer attacked you at the bar. He was clearly getting angry at the mans remarks. Your own brows furrowed, but you tugged at Grillby's arm to keep him walking, ignoring the group as best as you could. 

"Hey! You! I'm talkin' to you! Don't you ignore me you piece of shit, why don't you come over here and we can teach you what a real man feels like?"

You gripped tighter onto his arm, heart racing out of fear and anger. You felt a hand touch your own, bringing you slight comfort as you continued down the street. You were ready to fight if you really, really needed to. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and you two made it to the movie theater safe.

Looking at the time on your phone, you two had made it just in time to buy your tickets and find some good seats.

___________________________________________________

"What do you mean we can't get in?!" Rage boiled through your veins. Tonight had already gone terribly enough, you were not about to let it be ruined by some bigoted human theater.  
"We said we'd sit in the back, there's literally no problem here besides your attitude."  
"I will tell you for the last time, we don't serve HIS KIND here, we NEVER WILL serve HIS KIND here, and we don't care if you are human, we don't want you here. Have a good night."  
"Why you fucking..."

You were about to scream at the theater worker, fists balled up at your sides, anger rising within you more powerful than you ever felt, when Grillby just placed a hand on your shoulder. He did nothing but look at you and shake his head, motioning behind you for you two to just leave. A hurt expression wore on your face, but you turned around and walked out of the place, shoving your hands in your pockets defeatedly.

"I'm sorry, Grillby. I thought for sure not everyone out here could be so bad. Guess I was wrong..." It had gotten so cold outside that when you talked, your breath could be seen in the light that was being given off. You shivered a little bit, moving closer to Grillby, even if he did make you nervous in close proximity.  
"It's fine. I should have expected it to be honest. But it was worth a shot, right?"  
"Heh... right."

There was an awkward silence between the two of you, you being occupied with thoughts of how to fix the night, the whole day having been incredibly stressful and overbearing. All you wanted was for tonight to end well, despite the course the day had taken. A glance or two being flung in Grillby's direction, you noticed that his head was slightly hung down, and his gaze was far off beyond just the ground. Clearly he was upset about how you two had been treated. You were DEFINITELY not going to let the night end like this. A sudden idea popped into your head. You blushed, but it was as good of an idea as any. Feet stopping dead in their tracks, you stopped walking, causing Grillby to turn around and look at you questioningly.

"I have an idea. And... you can totally blow it off you want or whatever, but I was thinking..." You took a quick pause, looking away from him, hands still stuck in your pockets, stomach churning as you struggled to get the next half of the sentence out.  
"We can go back to my house. I have Netflix and I can hook it up to the TV. We can make it like a movie theater, and I can assure you there are human documentaries on there that could be just as good as any movie playing at the cinema. W...would you like to do that? Maybe? I mean, you can say no, it might be a little wei-"  
"_______" He stopped you in your rambling, looking at you with flames bright and bolder than before.  
"That sounds like fun. I'd love to." Your eyes seemed to gleam and your cheeks turned rosy, a stupid grin spreading ear to ear across your face.  
"G-great!" You exclaimed, shoulders shrugging up in delight. You started walking again, taking him in the direction of your home. The mood was lightened as you made your way through town, topics of conversation being thrown about as if the rest of today never happened. 

Eventually, the two of you made it to your cozy home, walking up the steps to your front porch.  
"Here we are, good sir! My humble abode. May you enjoy your stay." You bowed mockingly toward your fiery guest, causing him to giggle slightly, and returning a small curtsy, enough to be noticed, but clearly with a little apprehension. It wasn't much like Grillby to be too goofy, but you really appreciated the attempt. It was something new again, which was a good sign.  
"Why, thank you, kindly, dear. I'm sure the place will be just to my standards." The word dear made you feel all warm inside, and you giggled at his reply. You knew it was just for the moment, but something inside you longed for him to call you that all the time.

Fingers gripping anxiously at the doorknob, your hand turned, opening the entrance to your home, allowing you and your hot companion to go inside, starting the next segment of your already eventful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grillby is in your home. How does that make you feel? ;D


	6. Sleepyhead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick way to end the night, a bunch of filler used to make way for the next chapter. Grillby will have questions about human history. And possibly his own feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is incredibly short I'm sorry! New, longer chapter will be out soon, and Grillby will bombard you with human history questions. Plus, maybe a bit of fluff later? We shall see.

The door had opened and the second you stepped into the living room you flipped on the light and the entire weight of your body fell onto the couch. You didn’t even bother to take off your coat or your shoes, which, by now, were soaking into the carpet. Your eyes wandered over to Grillby, who clearly had more manners than you and it wasn’t even his own house, taking off his coat and leaving his own shoes by the front door. Upon seeing this, you jerked your feet off the floor, sending a small stream of melted snow water flying off into the depths of your home. 

You reached down and frantically untied your laces, pulling your shoes off your feet. Once you had finished that, you shuffled over to him placing your shoes by his, smiled sheepishly, and ran to the kitchen to grab a towel for the wet carpet. When you came back, Grillby was sitting properly on your couch, feet in the exact same spot that your gross, wet shoes were, sending you into a small panic attack.  
“U-uhm. Grillby, there’s a wet spot there.” You pointed toward the spot, but when he lifted his feet to check, the spot was gone.  
“Oh. It wasn’t too bad. My heat must have dried it up.” He said as a matter-of-factly, placing his feet back down onto the carpet. You tilted your head and wondered how it could have dried so fast, but it didn’t matter too much since the problem was solved anyway.  
“You do know,” he said softly, “a little bit of water won’t hurt me. Maybe a whole bucket, or perhaps a backyard hose, but not a small puddle on the carpet.” He laughed a bit after finishing his sentence, which gave you a minute sense of relief. At least you hadn’t hurt him; that was all that mattered. 

You snorted in response and turned on the TV, grabbing your laptop from the coffee table and hooking it up through the HDMI cable. After doing this, you quickly logged into Netflix and found a few historical options to choose from and started from the beginning of the list. Whenever he felt he was finished would be the time you would turn it off. This was all up to him. 

It made you happy to see him so invested in human history, but you were sure that there were bound to be parts that he wouldn’t like. A bit of anxiety flooded your body, but you just quietly sat down next to him, pressing play on your laptop and starting the movie. 

_______________________________________________________

After about an hour and a half in, you started to get very sleepy, occasionally finding yourself leaning towards Grillby who, much to your amazement, was still fully awake and totally engrossed into the human movies. It took a lot of your willpower to keep yourself from falling asleep on him, and every time you gravitated his way, you forced yourself to shift in the other direction toward the arm of the couch. With your chin in your hand and your eyes slowly closing, you let out a small, squeaky yawn, causing him to look in your direction, which you hadn’t even noticed.

He just stared at you, studying the features of your face as you slowly drifted off to sleep beside him. A quick thought of admiration flew through his mind. What you had done just for him today was greatly appreciated; trying to defend him in a community full of your own kind. That took guts, and he knew that. You had a strong soul, determined and kind, and he could see it. At this moment, he realized that you were a very valuable person to have in his life, and he was grateful that he, of all monsters and humans, was one of the beings on Earth that you graced your presence with. His hue of color changed to a brighter orange. Grillby was very glad that the two of you were friends.

“______” He said quietly, trying not to startle or stir you too much. You sluggishly pulled yourself up and gave a quick, “hm?” while stretching, his voice so smooth it was like a lullaby, and it did more good in putting you to sleep than waking you up at this point.  
“If you would like to go to bed, I can leave.” You shook your head as much as you could and waved your hand to him.  
“Mm-no… Please, let’s keep,” you paused to yawn, bringing your hand over your mouth, “watching…” You couldn’t even wake yourself up enough for an argument saying why, so your attempts to convince him you weren’t tired had failed. He gently nudged your shoulder, causing you to stir once more, looking at him from the corner of your eye. You half-heartedly pulled a frown on your face, pouting slightly at Grillby. Since you were so tired his light was a tiny bit straining to your eyes, but his warmth next to you was so inviting, you could wrap yourself up in him and fall asleep. You were too tired to recognize that that scenario would actually require cuddling up with him. Contact. That seemed nice…

You once more felt your eyes closing shut, almost involuntarily, but they were opened once more when Grillby tugged at your arm, seeing that now he was standing in front of you. You sat there, staring at him with a lazy glare, when finally you gave up and slowly lifted yourself to your feet.  
“I will finish this one and head home. You, however, need your sleep. Please.” He looked at you reassuringly, taking an arm with his hand, and guiding you up the stairs to your room. You reached the door and rubbed your eyes, looking at him again as one last shot to try and convince him you weren’t tired. It failed again. You grunted frustrated, but ultimately you ended up once again waving him off.  
“Alright… I’m goin’, I’m goin’…” You shuffled a little bit as you turned the knob and opened the door.

He gently pushed you into the room, making sure to use his natural light to show your path instead of flipping on the bright one above the bed. Lazily, you scuffed your feet on the carpet as you went to your bed, falling face first into your pillow without pulling on any covers or changing any clothes. A soft whisper could be heard in the lighted opening from your bedroom out into the hallway.  
“Goodnight, ______” 

You lifted your hand in a wave and muffled your reply into your pillow, turned yourself over and curled into a big, sleepy ball. Grillby then shut the door and headed back down the stairs to the couch, arms crossed tightly on his chest and one leg laying on top of the other. As he resumed his watching, more thoughts of you invaded his mind, whether he wanted them to or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP BY THE END OF TONIGHT 1/19


	7. Requiem for a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chilling nightmare haunts your dreams, but thankfully you still have your boss to thaw you out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter. Things are about to get very serious very soon. In the words of Scar from The Lion King, be prepared.

.........................................................  
"Sir, you need to leave," your authoritative voice echoed through a dark, depressing, patron-less Grillby's. The shape of a man stood in front of you, something seeming like a broken glass shard in his hand, looking as if it were dripping with whatever liquid had been in the glass before it was shattered. The figure did nothing but shamble toward you, arm swinging ominously at his side, hand still wrapped around the fractured piece of glass. He seemed to point it at you.  
"Sir, I will not tell you again, your behavior is out of control and you need to leave. You are not welcome he-"

An unseeable force had taken away your voice, causing you to stop mid sentence. The man just looked at you. A blank, human face stared at you, no discernible features gracing his face, but somehow, you could tell, he saw something that you hadn't. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through your stomach, making you double over in intense pain. Your hand reached down to hold yourself, but when your skin made contact with your clothing you felt a thick, wet liquid seeping through your white work shirt. You lifted your arm, looking down to see what it was, and it had finally occurred to you, the liquid dripping from the glass wasn't any drink at all, but your blood, coating the sharp edges of the shard. 

You looked up horrified at the faceless man, the lower half of your body covered in red. You felt yourself stumble, falling backwards onto the floor, clawing behind you to try and get away from the man. He stepped towards you, his only intent was to kill you. You opened your mouth to scream, to yell, anything. You called for help. 

...But nobody came. 

...........................................................

Then you awoke with a jolt. You found yourself sweating, nearly smothered in your coat, which you remember you hadn't taken off last night, because you didn't want to disturb Grillby while he was watching the show, even though it was your house, and could in fact, do literally anything you wanted in it. You shuddered at the remembrance of your dream, and shot yourself up, sitting hunched over on your bed.

Your back ached from the uncomfortable sleeping position you were in, and you had a hard time getting yourself to roll out of bed. It was thankfully Saturday, so you had the day to try and unwind. Saturday's work hours were weird - 8pm to 1:30am - but you weren't exactly complaining at the moment. It meant you could just sit on the couch and waste your day watching TV or on your laptop until it was time to start your shift.

You wondered why you had that nightmare again. It wasn't the first time that that scene had played in your head, but it was almost always followed by your rescue from your very own bartender boss. The night was always vivid in your mind, the man had been disorderly and drunk, little by little getting more rude toward the monsters at the bar, and eventually treating you with vulgarity and obscenities, both of which angered you and made you sick. After a few tries with verbal force, you took his arm and proceeded to drag him toward the door. That was when he lost his temper and smashed a glass on the table, taking a shard that cut open his own hand, and sliced at you, leaving a big, gaping wound across your stomach. The sight of your blood leaking down your clothes terrified you, but you didn't scream, instead, the shock had gotten to you badly, and all you did was call for help. The last thing you remembered before you passed out was a big raging burst of fire was in front of you, protecting you with all of its strength. Before you knew it you woke up in the hospital. Grillby and Sans were sitting there waiting for you. Sans gave you the whole story. After you had passed out Grillby had punched the man in the face, his rage so boiling hot that he left a permanent burned scar on the side of his face. He then called an ambulance and the two of you were escorted to the hospital. Grillby had been safe due to his act of self-defense, and you thought even that was lucky due to his monster heritage. He hadn't said a word at any point, just stared off into the pale, white hospital tiles, a hollow expression on his face. It took you both a while to recover from that, but it had brought you two closer in your friendship.

Shaking off the memory, you stood up and finally took off your coat, then shuffled out of the room down to the bathroom. You quickly brushed your teeth, catching your reflection in the mirror. Your hair was all matted and you had slight bags under your eyes. The nightmare had done a number on you, but at least you still looked kinda hot dressed in your not date clothes. 

Once you were done with cleaning yourself up you walked to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal. Once again, you got all of the materials ready for a nice bowl of cereal, only to find you still had no milk. You picked up the bowl and walked to the living room disgruntled, stopping abruptly upon noticing that your Netflix was still playing and there was a faint glow radiating from the couch. Leaning slightly over the back of the couch, you couldn't believe your eyes when you saw Grillby, legs crossed over one edge of the couch and arms behind his head on the other, still fully captivated by the things on TV. However, he wasn't watching history movies anymore. He was now watching some animated show you hadn't seen before. 

"...Grillby?" Upon hearing your voice he jumped what could have been three feet into the air and rolled off the couch. You exclaimed something loudly, nearly dropping your bowl all over the couch and on top of him. He rubbed his arm once he collected himself, a new hue being added to his face. It was a light blue shade, one that you had never seen in his repertoire of colors. Could he be... blushing?  
"O-oh. I'm so sorry. What time is it? I didn't think I would have stayed this long, I am so, so sorry. U-Undyne recommended it. I saw it in recommendations and figured I could watch just one episode, but I suppose it's been more than that... I-I'm sorry, I've been rude." 

Oh. Dear gods. He was adorable. Only moments ago you were having a terrible nightmare, but this small moment had made all of the fear melt away. Once again you found yourself thanking whatever higher being existed that of all places Grillby could have been placed, he had landed in your life. You held back a strained squeal as you watched him try to compose himself, but any further attempt at trying to seem suave and confident was no longer possible. A big smile appeared on your face as you walked over to him, placing your bowl on the coffee table, and bending over to help him up. 

After failing to keep it in any longer, you busted out laughing, causing him to turn a shade darker, having what looked like a slight pout on his face. After you helped him up, still laughing, to the point of tears in your eyes, he looked away from you, a soft puff of flame exiting where his mouth would be. He crossed his arms and still avoided your gaze, both out of embarrassment, but for a moment your attire had caught him off guard. Smoking might have been an appropriate term, but he would never allow himself to fall into Sans levels of puns. 

Through apologies and pats on the shoulder you finally calmed down enough to help him relax.  
"Grillby. It's fine that you stayed. You're my friend. I think we've known each other long enough for you to commandeer my Netflix. And my couch. Heck, why not my entire living room? Mi casa es su casa." Grillby stared at you, arms still crossed, but tilted his head. It occurred to you that maybe, since they had spent their entire lives underground, monsters had never heard Spanish.  
"Heh, it means 'My home is your home' in Spanish." Grillby was taken aback and looked a little confused.  
"______. That seems incredibly generous of you, but I have my own house. You know that right?"  
"...N..no, Grillby. It means you are welcome in my home. Whatever is mine is yours? It's just basically saying you're always welcome here. I'm not asking you to move in with me. Although...," you paused and smirked at him, "it seems like you've grown quite accustomed with my couch." You leaned over and patted the arm of the upholstery.  
"Traitor," you said to it with a playful growl. He chuckled in understanding.  
"Ah, I see what it means. Forgive me. I had misunderstood."  
"Grillby, it's sweet of you, but you don't need to apologize all the time. Especially here. If you'd like, there's still a lot of time before we have to even think about starting work. Would you like to watch some more?" 

His flames lit up at your response, both excited that he had not overstayed his welcome and that he could still continue his new show. You both sat down on the couch after pressing the play button on the laptop; you picking up your bowl of flaky, dry cereal, and him sitting back in his normal position, arms crossed and legs crossed. 

For a moment, Grillby contemplated a few questions he wanted to ask you, but he came to the conclusion that now was probably not the best time. Maybe later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter. Things are about to get very serious very soon. In the words of Scar from The Lion King, be prepared.


	8. Fight or Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!

Episode after episode of this show flew by, hours being wasted as the two of you just sat and watched the TV. You were maybe six episodes in and there were already scenes that pulled at your heartstrings. While Grillby wasn't too effected by these moments, only having sat forward watching with intense eyes, you on the other hand had to evacuate the room. As well as not being able to handle high levels of feels, you also didn't want to humiliate yourself in front of your friend by crying like a baby. Then he would truly know how big of a sap you are. Whenever you'd come back into the room Grillby would just cutely laugh at you, his whole face lighting up with joy. It seems that your tactic of leaving to save face hadn't really worked. Although, you should have figured as much when your face was still red and your nose was still all snuffles. 

"Oh my god, shut your mouth," you would say in-between rubbing your eyes, laughing with him, only causing him to laugh a little more, "How was I supposed to know that this show was so emotional, leave me alone!" With his arms raised, mocking surrender, he turned back around to watch the rest of the show, still softly chuckling. His laugh was very rich, like the sound of a crackling bonfire, and you loved every second of it.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Just a little before 7pm it had already gotten dark, and you decided it would be wise to shut off the show and head out to set up the bar. Not many people knew this, but while it was clear you were disorganized with your own things, you loved to be punctual and prepared. Sometimes you would arrive before Grillby even got there and surprised him with the cleanliness of the place. However, it made you especially happy today since this time you got to walk to work and set up with your boss. 

The walk was enjoyable despite the heavy chill in the air and for some reason it wasn't bothering you much while you trekked your way to work. Well, coupled with the distraction of conversation, there was also a nice source of heat walking next to you. Grillby was the one to start conversation this time, bringing up plot holes in the show that wouldn't work, how unrealistic everything was, and how incredibly depressing some of the moments were. As farfetched as the show was, you still admitted you enjoyed it, and after a few moments of silence, he nodded and shrugged in agreement. "I do agree, I rather enjoyed it, but I just don't understand all of the embellishments. However..." He paused, head down to think, "the emotional moments certainly were... well, emotional." He kept his head lowered and something triggered a chuckle inside of him. 

Watching his face light up with delight filled you with a pleasant, warm feeling, as if you could know him forever and never get bored of him. However; you certainly wanted to know what was so funny, and why he was keeping it from you. "What're you laughin at?" You said with your head tilted toward him, watching his flames sway gently as you kept walking. His head lifted back to its regular position with his eyes staring off into the distance in front of you, his face still glowing radiantly. "You. I found it interesting how you got so emotionally attatched to a fictional character so quickly that you found catharsis in moments of their pain and suffering. Heh. I guess what I'm saying is it's fascinating how your soul resonated so easily to something non-existant."

You were puzzled at his last words. They sounded so full of context that you didn't understand, like the soul was a tangible thing. As far as you knew a soul was just something people took comfort in for not having some definitive answer to whatever happens after death. But for a moment you became curious enough to ask, even if it would sound a little dumb if you were wrong. "Grillby, what do you mean by soul? You make it out to be something you can touch. Something... real."

With his head turning to you, speed slowing down a little, he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well...," he hesitated, "the soul is a real thing. Both us monsters and even you humans have them, however, humans cannot outright see them in living beings, but monsters, such as I, can." His hand was placed gently on his chest as he explained. You sharply gasped in excitement thinking that maybe you might be able to experience a glimpse at one, but his next words made you wilt. 

"Sadly, however...," he continued, "I cannot show you what one looks like. The soul only shows itself sparsely, perhaps when one is put into dire situations or intense interactions. There are many... intimate, ways to use a soul, or many violent ways to use a soul, but you cannot force a soul to appear." The corners of your mouth scrunched into a small pout, still wishing that you could see one. Your mind started to wonder with ways a soul could look, how yours would look. How his would look. Then you were once again drawn in by the sound of your companion's voice. 

"The closest thing I can compare it to would be the anatomically incorrect drawing of a heart. But even that is putting a soul to shame. A soul is beautiful - even the most rotten ones. They shine with brilliant radiance, emitting a very faint chorus of vibration waves and ethereal sounds," Grillby says, his voice filled with recollection, from days past where he had had the fortune, or maybe misfortune of seeing them. Perhaps a soul was one of those things that never became dull, no matter how many times you saw them. "And I can tell you that I've seen your soul. It is unique; an amalgamation of so many different amazing things. I really wish you could see it."

With this Grillby seemed sad that you could not see your own soul. Of course it disappointed you some, but certainly not enough to bring you down, but if you had known what they truly were, you might have been sad too. For a moment you blushed happily; inadvertently, Grillby had complemented you, or at least your soul. The words he used, beautiful, unique, amazing... joy bubbled within you. You placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Don't worry. I'm sure I will be able to see one eventually. Hopefully under good circumstances of course." A small smile spread across your face, but you were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice shouting behind you. 

"HUMAN. GRILLBY. WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING OUT THIS LATE IN THE NIGHT?" The funny tone of the voice made you chuckle. "We're going to work, but we could also ask you the same thing, Papyrus." Oh, Papyrus. This was the more enthusiastic of the skeleton brothers. His height towered over most living things and his voice overpowered almost any sound that existed. Papyrus' volume could be managed, but due to his constant state of pure excitement it was just one level below overbearing. But, you loved the guy, so no matter what he was still important to you even if he was overwhelming at some times.

"WELL I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE. WE HAVE RUN OUT OF PASTA AND FRISK AND SANS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET OUT OF MY COOKING FOR TONIGHT. BUT OF COURSE, I SIMPLY CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN. HOW COULD THEY MISS OUT ON MY MARVELLOUS MAKING OF ITALIAN CUISINE? IT'S BLASPHEMOUS! I MEAN, MY COOKING IS ESPECIALLY ADECQUATE AND MAYBE EVEN-" Papyrus' voice muddled into unintelligable garble as he droned on and on about his predicament. 

It wasn't that you didn't care, you did, but as it was mentioned before, he was often overbearing. You and Grillby both nodded, agreeing with whatever the tall skeleton had to say, knowing it wouldn't be wise to argue with him, especially when he was off on a tangent like this. Eventually you made it to the bar which, thankfully, caused Papyrus to bid his adieu, and after the two of you waved your goodbyes, you entered into the bar.

__________________________________________________________

You both entered the door normally and proceeded to prepare the bar as you normally would. Grillby, with you following close behind, went into the kitchen to check on inventory, and after shifting your legs a little more you felt a heavy weight in the location of your bladder and headed to the bathroom. While you were in there you found that you had left your work outfit folded in the bag from the night before, and after you had done your business, you proceeded to change clothes. With coat in hand you exited the room, immediately noticing Grillby with his arms crossed and a frustrated look on his face. "What's up?" He turned to you a bit surprised when you broke him from his train of thought. "Oh," he turned to you, "we are short on meat for burgers and I realized that I never bought any more ketchup for Sans. This is a small problem."  
"Well, don't worry about it, we're still early, I can just run to the store and pick up the materials in no time. Plus I've been out of milk for weeks so I can finally get some to stock my fridge." You said proudly, finally finding the time to get yourself some milk for your damn cereal. He simply nodded at you, appreciative of your gesture, and went back to setting the other things up that could actually be prepared.  
"Well, alright Grillby, I'll be back before you know it. Can't let the customers go hungry now can we?" You gave him a playful wink and left the bar just as soon as you came in.

With a swift flip of your arms your coat was back around your body and you headed back out into the cold outdoors.  
___________________________________________________________

You walked in the freezing cold of the night, wind whistling in your ears, causing you to shiver, even under your big, wool coat. The closest grocery store was the one in the human district, about a ten minute walk. The thought of staying out in the cold that long without your mobile space heater made you frown, nearly regretting the decision to get supplies for the bar. 

The muscles in your legs tensed slightly from the cold, causing you to walk stiffly but briskly, however the faster you walked the more wind blew on your face. You buried your face in a space under the collar of your coat and kept pushing forward, passing under the tall streetlights that provided you with the light to guide your way. The shape of the light that beamed down onto the sidewalk was in a circle, almost like stepping into a spotlight each time. A brief thought of posing like Mettaton appeared in your mind. 

As you kept walking down the street with your head lowered, you didn't notice a figure in front of you and you grazed your shoulder off of his. You quickly whipped around to apologize, but the man spoke first.  
"Hey, why don't you watch where you're fucking going?" Upon laying your eyes on his head you noticed he was wearing a hat. This was blue beanie guy from last night, the one who was shouting at you and Grillby while you were on your way to the movies. This time he was alone though, without the group he was with the previous night. 

You were about to apologize when he lifted his face to look at you. The light of a street lamp shone clearly on all features of both of you, and a flash of recollection washed over the two of you, his being anger and yours being true fear. The scar that you had noticed on his face last night... it wasn't just a regular scar. It was a burn mark... this was the man that attacked you at the bar.  
Your stomach lurched. Nothing but nausea filled your body. The thought of being near this guy made you sick and the memories of that moment made you want to puke. As you tried to remain calm and turn away his voice spoke up, louder this time  
"You're that bitch that works at that filthy monster bar. You tried to kick me out." He moved closer to you, nothing but bitter hatred in his voice, frightening you more with each step. You couldn't run, the ice would cause you to slip. But you couldn't exactly fight either. The trauma from the attack came flooding through you, every nerve in your body screaming. You feared for your life.

The man pointed at his face, hand so tense you could see the tendons on the back of his hands squeeze as he moved.  
"You remember this, right? Your little monster buddy there gave me this reaaal nice scar. Pretty sweet right? Heh," he chuckled, empty, "REAL popular with the ladies. Y'know. AFTER HE SCARRED ME FOR LIFE." His voice raised suddenly, but then went back into a harsh and serious low whisper, almost a growl. For a moment you could see he was reaching into his pocket, but you didn't bear to look away. Not that you could have anyway. You were stuck, like a deer in headlights. 

"Ever since those monster bastards came to the surface, they've been nothing but more TRASH that we have to pick up in this damn world. Nothing but a bunch of scum. None of them deserve to exist," you shot a glance at his pocket, the gleam of a switchblade shone from his hand, "and neither do the human traitors that protect them." And with that he swiftly swung his knife side to side furiously, you bringing your non-dominant arm up to protect yourself, the other clenched tightly at your side in fear. Despite your heavy coat it wasn't enough to completely stop the slashes, giving you various amounts of defensive wounds all up and down your forearm, watching with squinted eyes as your blood flung from one direction to another with the force of the blade. You attempted to back up, but ultimately ended up backing into the brick wall of a random building, but out of the light of the street lamp. 

Tears stung your eyes as nothing but pain and adrenaline could be felt surging through you. What had you done to deserve this? Why was being a kind human so bad? More slashes hit you, going deeper into the sleeves in your coat, which meant deeper into your skin. Your mind started to fuzz, everything went blurry and you closed your eyes not knowing what to do next, but the next thing that happened was you heard a loud crack and the sound of metal clinking on the ground. 

In your adrenaline induced rush you hang swung your free arm up with your balled fist, landing a very powerful punch to the face of the man trying to kill you. The blow you caused had knocked the knife out of his hand, and while he was hunched over holding his face, you saw droplets of red drip through his fingers. 

"You bitch! You broke my fucking nose!" He spouted through blood with his garbled nose, coughing wildly while blood trickled down the back of his throat. He turned quickly and before you could attempt to escape his hands were on you and you tumbled to the icy, hard ground. The blood streaming down his lips and chin dripped onto your clothes and onto your cheeks, his bloody hand curled into a fist that punched you hard in the eye, causing you to scream out. He held his hands against your throat as you squirmed beneath him, trying to free yourself from his grasp, but nothing worked. You started to wheeze and your vision became strained, your own bloodied hands gripping onto his to try and release them, but to no avail. You thought you noticed a pale lavender glow seeping from your chest...  
"I wish you had died at that miserable restaurant. I wish I could have seen in that moment the light leave your eyes. You should have fucking bled out right on that floor," his grip tightened and your breathing got harder and harder to take, "maybe that would teach you a lesson huh? Monsters are vile, they don't belong here with us superior races. But now... Now at least I can finally kill you with my bare hands." 

It was true, once you faced possible death head on your life truly did flash before your eyes. Everything whizzed through your mind, your friends, the day the monsters arrived, Frisk, Sans, the family, Grillby... It occurred to you that your last breathing moment would be a sad memory, and that Grillby was probably so worried that you hadn't returned yet. Your eyes started to burn.

"__________!!!!" Your name could be heard from a direction behind you, you weren't sure where, but the sound of rustling bags fell to the ground and the clenched hands around your neck were suddenly released when a blue light buzzed over you and sent the man on top of you flying, another several cracks heard from the hit. 

You sat up quickly, coughing harshly, your breathing raspy and hard to take in. The air stung your lungs and your head felt as if it could burst. You looked ahead and saw that standing ahead of you was a monstrously tall, lanky figure. A giant, glowing, blue bone in his hand.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY FRIEND IN SUCH A WAY. YOU CALL US MONSTERS, BUT IT WOULD BE FITTING TO YOUR OWN KIND IF YOU COULD ONLY SEE YOURSELF."  
"Papy..r.." You tried to call out to him, but you couldn't fully get it out. The pressure of the man's hands was still fresh on your neck.  
"DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN. I WILL TEACH THIS MAN A LESSON." It seemed like the skeletons hands tightened around the long weapon, raising it just a little to prepare himself for a fight, an orange glow smoking from his eye and from the inside of his ribcage. It was stunningly beautiful. You started in awe. This must be the magic all of the monsters had, and that... that must be his soul. Grillby had said it only appears when it needs to, and Papyrus' soul had come out just as he was about to fight. To protect you.

Looking ahead of you and the skeleton, blue beanie man was hunched over, holding his ribs hard. Papyrus must have hit him hard enough to crack them. That must have been what the sound was when he swooped in to rescue you. 

The man spat blood into the snow beside him, "Get out of here you freak. You're an abomination to society that needs to burn in the deepest pits of hell, just like your friend here."  
"DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT MY FRIEND THIS WAY. YOU ARE BEING INCREDIBLY RUDE. I WILL GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO RUN AWAY, OR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU TO BEHAVE." Papyrus straightened his stance, boney legs bending a little as if ready to move at any moment. The Orange color radiated like an aura around him. Even if you had just been near death, his image right now amazed you and cleared your mind for a split moment. 

The man, seething with anger, rushed toward the tall monster. But in one swift motion, Papyrus brought the bone up with great force, connecting with his jaw, sending him flying into a nearby pile of snow. You quickly jumped to your feet and with as much strength as you could muster, ran over to the skeleton, tears in your eyes and a crimson river of blood still flowing down your arm. 

"P-papyrus is he...?"  
"DO NOT WORRY HUMAN. HE IS MERELY UNCONSCIOUS. I WOULD NOT HAVE KILLED HIM. THERE IS ALWAYS GOOD IN EVERYBODY, I BELIEVE IT. HOWEVER, HURTING YOU IS AN INEXCUSABLE ACTION, SO HE GETS POINTS TAKEN OFF HIS GOOD METER." His magic faded and so did his soul, disappearing back inside him, or wherever it could go. You wished that you could have enjoyed the sight under better circumstances, but you were just unlucky to have this be your first experience.

You wrapped your good arm around his boney body and left your hurt one to swing at your side, violently shaking through the shock and whimpering into the hollow space of his ribs. Even though he was cold to the touch because of his raw body, the feeling of his arms wrapped around you felt warm and comforting, trying to reassure you that you were okay. That you were still alive. 

"COME HUMAN, LET US GO TO THE HOSPITAL. YOU NEED HELP WITH ALL OF THAT BLOOD THAT IS POURING OUT OF YOU," he glanced reluctantly at the body in the snow, "AND I SUPPOSE HE WILL NEED SOME HELP AS WELL. I WILL CALL SANS AND LET HIM KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED. HE MUST BE WORRIED SICK." Speaking of worry, you immediately thought of Grillby. With the time that has gone by and all the time you'd do at the hospital you'd be late for work and he'd wonder where you were. 

"U-Uhm, Papyrus. Could you please have Sans let Grillby know what happened, too?" It looked like Papyrus could sense the sadness in your voice against all of the shakiness. He simply nodded and carefully lifted you up onto his shoulder, the other guy on the opposite. Exhaustion hit you like a ton of bricks and knowing you were safe made you drift off in Papyrus' grip, leaning carefully onto one side, so as not to rip open your arm any further. You squeezed tightly at it despite all of the pain, thinking maybe it would stop the bleeding, but you were too tired that any real pressure couldn't be willed. 

The cold was finally seeping back into your body, feeling slightly nice on your open wounds, and you dozed off, waiting for the arrival of your delivery to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter coming as soon as I can!


	9. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skelebros and walking campfire comfort you as you wake up in the hospital. (Filler chapter.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a rather short chapter I'm sorry!

You awoke to the familiar sterile smell and technological sounds of the hospital clinic. Nurses and doctors bustling around, the distant beeping of heart monitors, and the sound of the TV overhead quietly delivering the news. Using your arms to push yourself into a sitting position, you were overcome with pain in your defensive arm. You remembered that you had a few lacerations from the fight and a little bit of anxiety flowed back through you. Although, you noticed that there was a clean white bandage wrapped around the wounds and a smaller one wrapped on your dominant hand. You must have hurt your hand pretty bad from how hard you hit the guy; you broke the mans nose for gods sake. The nurses and doctors must have done it while you were asleep. 

"hey, look who's up," the calming - almost whispered - voice of Sans was beside you. You turned your head to the right and saw that Papyrus (who was too engrossed in a magazine to see you wake up or hear Sans speak), Sans, and Grillby were sitting in chairs beside the bed. Sans' eyesockets were empty, devoid of his normal glowing pupils. He hopped out of his chair and got closer to you.

"heh. that's quite the shiner ya got there, kid. he gotcha good huh..." his voice was filled with contempt. Angry. Hollow. Vengeful... your eyes lidded with sadness, moving them over toward Grillby. His face was stoic, flames wilted and dimmed as if he could go out at any moment. Instead of his usual upright, proper stature, he was slouching, legs spread with his elbows laying on them, hands clasped together underneath his chin. The image was very somber. He didn't, no, couldn't... bear to look at you. Papyrus had jumped at the sight of seeing someone move and immediately rushed to you, magazine flying behind him, and bumping into the end of the bed. He took your hands in his while trying to speak.

"HUMAN YOU ARE AWAKE. HOW ARE YOU FEELING? I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU, I AM SORRY YOU HAD TO SEE THAT. I HAD TO KEEP MY COMPOSURE FIGHTING THAT MAN OF COURSE BECAUSE I AM AN AMAZING AND SPECTACULAR HERO, BUT IT WAS SO HARD TO KEEP MYSELF TOGETHER SEEING YOU HURT LIKE THAT." Somehow his eyes managed to water and his nose got all runny, jaw and teeth turning down into a frown. Must be magic, you thought. You chuckled weakly.

"Don't worry, Papyrus... I'm... okay." Papyrus dropped your hands in relief, but the tone in your voice was unsure. You really had no idea if you were okay or not. The unease in your stomach hadn't gone away, but you certainly weren't in anymore danger or anything. It couldn't exactly be explained, but you just didn't feel any better. You probably wouldn't for a while. 

"Where is... the guy?" Your voice was almost a whisper, eyes unable to look at the faces of your friends. There was a bit of shame within you, but you weren't sure why. There was nothing you could have done really to protect yourself, you had the guts to swing at the guy, but still deep inside you felt weak. A sadness in the depths of your heart because you couldn't win in the fight for the name of your monster friends. A heavy weight fell on your chest. 

"HE IS IN ANOTHER ROOM. HIS OWN WOUNDS ARE BEING DEALT WITH AND HE WILL BE TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY, THE SCOUNDREL!" His expression quickly changed to one of anger, but Sans pat him on the arm trying to calm him down, eyes having slightly lit up again.

"you won't have to worry about him again." There was a hint of something sinister in his tone, but your fears were slightly set aside when he spoke up again. "don't worry, buddy, i didn't do anything to em. but i can assure you we won't let it happen again." Their protective natures were comforting and certainly admirable. Even if sometimes they didn't exactly get along, protecting someone they loved was one of the things they always shared in common. You were very appreciative of that.  
But even though the reassurance of the brothers was welcomed, you couldn't help but think about them too. You wanted to ask if all of THEM were okay, if THEY were stable... Even if they were it still would have helped you to know that they were alright too.  
Despite the condition you were in you still brought it upon yourself, whether you liked it or not, to think about the others. Putting everyone before yourself, even now. 

"...Thanks, guys. Really..." You began to speak through a faltering smile, tears brimming in your eyes. You felt the feathery weight of a boney hand on top of your bruised one.  
"no problem, kiddo. and hey, don't worry about us, kay?" The smaller skeleton smiled, "we can take care of ourselves. and if takin care of ourselves means takin care of you too, no skin off my nose." He winked. There was normal Sans. Just him back to his original state made you feel a little better already. However, sniffling Papyrus and downtrodden Grillby were still bringing the mood down. You just wanted to go home and be alone for a while. 

You shifted your weight on the bed once more, trying not to use your bad arm as much as you could. When they saw you struggling, the skeleton brothers each took a side of you and helped you move off the bed. Grillby shot up out of the chair to help you, but he was too late when they got there first. 

"Thanks, guys, but you've really done more then enough. Please, don't worry about me. Just go home and rest. Tonight has been exhausting..." Drowsiness laced your speech. Even though you had just woken up you were just about ready to nod off again. Soon the fire man was up beside you, holding your shoulder, bringing you close to his side. His heat was enjoyable, like a heating pad. It helped loosen the tight knots that you had in your muscles from the evening, so even though you still had a bit of nausea and anxiousness, you were thankful to be comforted by that at least. 

The contact made your heart race, but now wasn't the time to get all flustered. Now you just wanted to lay in your bed, or even on your couch, and sleep. The warm pressure of his body was an amazing bonus. His big arms and his tight grip were so comfortable, helping you sink down into a sleepy abyss, the lights of the room started to fade out and everything was going dark...

"...Let me walk you home..." You snapped your head up at the sound of Grillby's smooth voice. It was somewhat of a crackle, like the tone you get after waking up in the morning or having a long night after a long day. Tired and raspy. All you could do was nod,and the three monsters took you to sign out of the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. EXTREME FLUFF. SO MUCH FLUFF. YOU COULD DROWN YOURSELF IN IT.
> 
> (Sorry that fluff took so long to finally show up!!! T^T)


	10. Adding Fuel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY MAYBE NOT AS MUCH FLUFF AS I THOUGHT but I still rather like this chapter? Forgive me if it's written at a slightly lower quality. This was written on a late work night.

The walk home was dead silent. Sans didn't make a joke and Papyrus didn't make a comment. Grillby had gravitated away from you. Far away enough to give you your own space, but close enough to help you should any other problems arise. Luckily the frigid wind outside had woken you up enough to carry your own weight on the way home. You had on your tattered coat, having no choice but to wear it home since you had no other coat. Looking down you saw patches of the fabric hanging by threads, blowing gently as the wind pushed against them. Your work outfit had to be discarded yet again. It was fine though, Grillby had brought your clothes from the bar that you changed out of, and you knew he'd replace the outfit whenever possible.

Still walking along you closed your eyes briefly to listen to the sounds around you. The soft chimes on houses singing in the wind, the crunches of all the feet walking in the snow on the sidewalk, the faint crackle of Grillby's constant ambiance. You took a deep breath and opened your eyes, watching the steam curl out of your mouth as you exhaled, proving to yourself that you indeed were still alive. 

Your sigh broke the quiet atmosphere, if only for a moment. All your companions turned to look at you, but they continued walking on just the same when they realized you didn't have anything to say. It wasn't exactly an uncomfortable silence. You felt safe with everyone around you, knowing that with these three around nothing bad could ever happen to you again. At least, not in this moment anyway. Your lips turned upwards into a smile and huffed a happy breath. You had already been appreciative of your life thus far, but after surviving death not once, but twice, a sappy feeling overflowed in your heart.

"I love you guys..," came out of your mouth. They all turned to look at you, faces brimming with content smiles. Except Grillby, who didn't really wear a smile, but he hung his head low and let out a soft puff of smoke as if to chuckle. Sans bumped into your side and looked up to you with his normal, friendly grin.  
"we know, kid."  
"OF COURSE YOU LOVE ME. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM AMAZING IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. BUT I CANNOT RECIPROCATE THOSE FEELINGS, YOU KNOW. I JUST DON'T FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT YOU HUMAN, I AM SORRY." 

You feigned sadness, clutching your heart as if it had just been broken into a million tiny pieces.  
"Alas, nothing could ever compare to the pain I feel in this moment. I could parish any second!" Humor came flooding back into you body and you pretended like you were going to faint, swaying sideways with your good arm lifted onto your forehead, "Oh, oh my! The rejection!" Sans snorted at your actions and decided to play along with your charade.  
"uh oh papyrus, it's too much. you better love them back or they might die. after all your hard work to keep them safe, they die at your own hands. that's brutal, brother. i can't believe you're that empty inside." He winked like he usually does, but the joke had flown right over Papyrus' head and he started to freak out. As for Grillby, he didn't even laugh, just watched cautiously as you continued with your very convincing acting.

"B-BUT SANS. I DON'T HOLD AS DEEP OF AN AFFECTION FOR THE HUMAN AS THEY DO ME. MY FEELINGS ARE STRICTLY PLATONIC, I CAN'T FORCE MYSELF INTO SOMETHING I DON'T WANT! B-BESIDES, WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FEELINGS FOR GR-"  
"-gotta go." Sans interrupted, took Papyrus' arm, and teleported somewhere in the vast, cold, dark of the night. 

Well. You weren't cold anymore. 

As your face flushed, you couldn't help but wonder if Grillby could fill in the blanks. He wasn't stupid. You knew he had to know now. Papyrus had such a big mouth sometimes. Facing forward, arms swaying by your sides, you watched your fiery friend through your peripheral vision. He didn't flinch at Papyrus' blurting. Not a stiff muscle could be seen in his form, and he looked normal as far as you could notice. Maybe he wasn't even paying attention to the skeleton and his booming panic. Noticing this made you relax somewhat.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sight of your house in the near distance. As you brought yourself up the steps of the porch, you turned around to bid farewell to Grillby.  
"Grillby...," you said, your voice slightly breathy, both out of nervousness and sympathy, "thanks for bringing me home." Not a word was said from your companion. He just nodded silently and hesitantly, not looking at you as you started to turn the doorknob. A sorrowful look wore on your face. The heavy weight of exhaustion landed back in your eyes and your muscles, causing them to quiver as you fought to stay awake.  
"Well... goodnight," you said, voice in a softened whisper. Grillby simply nodded again, and you went inside, wishing there was something you could say or do to make this tension instantly go away. The click of the door sounded behind you, officially signalling that this night was over. You quickly shed your coat and slipped off your shoes, not even bothering to untie them. You just wanted to get into bed and go to sleep, escaping the reality that had been tonight.

You were just about to climb the stairs and pass out when you heard a light rap at the door.  
"Oh my Goood..." you hissed frustratedly. You had it in your mind to just ignore the knock and go to sleep, but something else inside you told you to open the door. You proceeded to retrace your steps and opened the door sluggishly and standing in front of you was the sun himself, Grillby.

You blinked in confusion, wondering if you were just so tired you were hallucinating, so you tried to speak.  
"Grillb-?" He cut you off and invited himself into the house bringing you into a light embrace, careful not to irritate your wounds. His heat was so pleasant, sending a surge of chills down your spine. You began to burn up, your face reddening with every second that he lingered on your body. His arms on your back felt so comfortable. It felt right, like the moment when two puzzle pieces finally fit together and connect perfectly. Even though you washed with embarrassment, you brought your arms up and hugged him back. You never wanted to let him go. 

"I am sorry, ______...," Grillby spoke with a melancholic timbre, muffled slightly by his face buried in your shoulder, "of all the people you could have run into," he scoffed, "it just had to be him, didn't it...? I should have gone with you, it was my fault you left." As much as you didn't want to let go, you released your grip from the man and stood back in disbelief.  
"Grillby, you don't really believe that this was all your fault, do you?" 

He looked away ashamed, his flames burning low like a dying candle fame. Butterflies fluttered around in the pit of your stomach as you walked forward and took the edges of his jawline into your hands, turning his head toward you, forcing him to look into your eyes. You tried your hardest to hide any hint of being unsettled by your close contact. A hint of blue glowed on Grillby's orange face, creating a beautiful contrast as you gazed into his eyes.  
"Don't you for one moment think that this was your fault. You had no idea that this could have happened. I'm not angry at you and you shouldn't be either. You did nothing wrong." There was a brief silence, uncertainty painting his expressions, when you spoke up again in a tender tone, "I promise."

The tenderness in your voice made him relax, bringing his hands up to grasp yours. You didn't expect this, the hold you had on him was even pushing boundaries you thought, but you guessed you were wrong. You were uncomfortable, but not entirely in a bad way.  
"..._____," he said, "thank you."

And with that he dropped his hands, letting yours slide down and fall to your side. You turned around at breakneck speed, face as hot as the fires of Mordor, nearly coating your entire body in a deep shade of red. While your heart beat rapidly in your chest you continued to dig your hole even further, repeating the events of the previous night. Despite being incredibly tired you invited him on the couch to watch another show on Netflix, giving him the opportunity to choose whatever he desired, thinking maybe you could cheer him up further. He was surprised to see that you still wanted him here, but he didn't decline the offer, heading over to the couch, taking laptop in hand as he lowered himself onto the cushion. You sat as far away as possible from him, trying to avoid any further awkward contact. 

The screen was already up on the Netflix homepage and he started to scroll through the plethora of options to choose from. In the time window between Grillby finding something to watch and getting it started you decided to get up and wander to the kitchen, grabbing drinks and snacks so that after you got situated you didn't have to get back up in the middle of the marathon. 

You came back in the room, arms chock full of delicious food, only to find Grillby with his arms crossed on his chest and no longer scrolling the webpage. For some reason, you felt uneasy again, knees weak and stomach feeling bilious. 

"...I had no idea that you had felt this way about me."

Oh.

Your worst fears had come true. First the attack and now this? This was possibly the worst day of your life. The picture of Undyne's panic face flashed in your mind and you were sure that your expression looked exactly the same right now. A flight instinct rushed through you, wanting so badly to run to your room and lock yourself in there, and never, ever come out. Dying there would be a much more enjoyable experience than having this confrontation so suddenly. His silky voice piped up again, dragging you back into the harsh reality you were currently in.

"It's endearing. Although I have to be honest, I can't believe I didn't see it before. After Papyrus' spiel, I started connecting all of the dots and came to realize that you have felt this way for a long while and I was just oblivious to all of the signs," he paused, "I honestly can't see why you could feel this way about someone like... me." He was dejected. The nervous feelings were accompanied now by a hefty sadness.  
"W...why would you say that?"  
"Haha, well, if you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the same."  
So it was because he was a monster. Or maybe it was because he was literally on fire, but you weren't exactly sure. It was probably both, you decided. 

Silence loomed heavily over the both of you, an awkward air filling the wide space between you two. What could you say? He hadn't asked any questions and you couldn't think of anything to add, so you just stood there, staring at the ground, ashamed, as if you had been caught red handed doing something you shouldn't have.  
"Grillby," his name spilled out of your mouth unconsciously, "I don't... care about what you are or how your look. Haha, even though the s-smoking body is a plus," you attempted to make a pun because humor was usually your defense mechanism, but it ultimately failed in making you feel better, and instead dug you deeper into hell, "I like you because of... well... who you are. I have never met a more generous man in my life. You always look out for others and...," you forced yourself to look up at him and found him staring at you, blue as the sky on a summer day. His blush caused you to do the same and tense up, your next words hesitant to leave your lips, "and... a-and...," he was still staring at you. Why did this have to be so hard? He knew now so why couldn't you just explain yourself? You bit your lip hard and peeled off a bit of skin, nearly causing it to bleed.  
"I... aw, man, I n-need a moment." You turned away frustrated and without emptying your arms you just bolted up the stairs, closing your bedroom door behind you just a little harder than you needed to.

The food you carried in your arms were released and plopped down on the bed, and you quickly followed suit, grabbing a pillow and squeezing it hard against your chest which was pounding hard beneath, then bringing the covers over your bent knees. The stress was too much. You hated confrontation, always had, and now was the biggest one you had ever had. It's not like this was your first crush, but this one was unique and you didn't want to screw it up in any way. But now you felt like that was exactly what you did. 

About ten minutes went by before you heard a knock on your bedroom door. No matter how much you willed your legs to move, they wouldn't listen to your command, so you just called out sheepishly to the wooden barrier.  
"Come in..." By now you had curled the covers up above your mouth, trying to shield your vexation. Grillby sauntered in and planted himself at the foot of your bed pushing aside the junk food, making sure to give you your distance, knowing that this was difficult to discuss. He looked perplexed, like he was trying to solve a problem in his head. 

"If it makes you feel better, I am relieved." At this you buried your face further into your blankets, hoping you could disappear. His latest sentence seemed like good news, but the butterflies in your stomach whirled non-stop. He let a few moments pass before he talked once more.  
"I have been feeling something different too. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it is more than a regular interest, I do not know if it is affection, but...," his color changed again, this time spreading more across his face, "you're so... different. I-in a good way, of course. This is harder to explain than I thought."  
"Heh, y-you're telling me," you grumbled into your sheets. Another awkward silence fell over you. 

"I am a monster... but you are not deterred by my appearance. That too is fascinating. You... are fascinating." Of course, hearing this you were ecstatic, but your body still shivered from sensory overload. Grillby watched you and chuckled nervously. Clearly this wasn't just difficult for you, but difficult for him as well.  
"Grillby. We should just talk about this another time. It has been a very, very long night..."  
"Y-yes. It sure has. Would you like me to leave?" You shook your head at him and pulled down your covers, getting out of bed and coyly waving at him to follow you back downstairs. 

After the moment that just unfolded, the two of you didn't speak much. Only to ask who wanted what snack and which show you two would agree on. For the rest of the night you two were quiet, but despite the awkward encounter, the heavy weight you had been carrying from keeping this whole thing a secret finally felt lifted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this pleases you! Next chapter will be somethin' special.


	11. Ignited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you are! It's a rather long one. I hope you like it!

Before Grillby left that night he told you that you needed to stay home from work to recover. Coupled with the fact that your wounds needed to heal, your appearance was also an issue. You could tell that he was uncomfortable when he looked at your bruised face, reminding him of what had been done to you the previous night. As well as upsetting him, you were sure that it would upset the customers at the bar too, so you would wait until it looked at least halfway decent before going back. 

As well as informing you of your non-negotiable medical leave, you both decided to leave last night's conversation buried and locked away, not to be touched again for a long while. You were still reeling from your basically forced confession that you didn't feel comfortable trying to discuss it so soon. Although, even though you both agreed to drop it, his words kept floating in your mind. 

As for him, he contemplated how he felt. Grillby knew what it was like to have feelings for someone, and he certainly felt SOMETHING, but he had concerns about how different he was from you. If he were to be honest, he always thought you were attractive for someone not of his species, and always found himself drawn toward you, but never had he thought of a possible relationship.

While walking home, he mulled over all of the ways he felt when he was around you, and after a bit of thought he realized that he could possibly feel the same way about you too. Behind his constant stoic exterior, deep down in the fiery pit of his soul, he felt something just a little more, whether he liked it or not. Of course, you were not ready to discuss it just yet, so he let it go. For now.

_______________________________________________________________

When you woke up the next morning the first thing you did was reach over onto your night stand and check your phone, ignoring any other responsibilities that might have needed tending to. Upon unlocking it you were immediately bombarded with text messages and voicemails from various missed calls. The missed calls were from Papyrus, who left unintelligible, muffled messages in your inbox. As well as being loud it sounded like he was apologizing for something, probably about last night. You rolled your eyes and chuckled lightly as you quickly deleted all of the voice messages in one tap of your finger. As for the text messages, they were from varied senders, a couple from Alphys and one or two from Mettaton, but most of them were from Sans. Leaving the other ones for later, you opened his first, one by one each containing at least one pun, even the serious ones.

BoneDaddy sent 9:30PM:  
"hey, kid did papyrus blow it for ya? sorry, you know how he can be a bonehead sometimes."

BoneDaddy sent 10:15PM:  
"heya. haven't heard anythin' from ya, things startin' to kindle between you two?"

BoneDaddy sent 10:16PM:  
"ask him if he wants to use ice cubes. that'll really get him hot n' bothered."

You couldn't have shut your phone faster if you tried. The last one was enough and you threw your phone down on the bed, deciding to ignore it for the rest of the day. If he wanted to talk to anyone about it, he could do it at Grillby's tonight when he went. Not only was it too early for his shit, but the shame was enough by itself to kill you. The memory of when Grillby told you a little water couldn't hurt him flashed in your mind, which was followed by the last text that Sans sent you. For a moment you wondered if ice cubes could actually work... Your face burned viciously. 

Without another thought you rushed to the bathroom, needing to pee badly from holding it in all night and desperately needing a shower. After doing your business you got the hot water running, taking off your pants and trying to lift your shirt in order to undress for your routine. However: you tried to pull your arm out of a tight spot in the sleeve and it created a pressure on your bandages, causing you to jerk your arm with pain. 

"Well, this is gonna be a pain in the ass..." You already knew that the arm had to stay away from large amounts of water, but it wouldn't exactly matter if you couldn't get your clothes off to get IN the water. Using your opposite hand you slipped the sleeve off carefully and pulled the cloth over your head, tossing it to the floor. Before you stepped in the shower, you stood at the curtain, naked, wondering how this was going to work. You could step in and leave your arm hanging out like an imbecile, but eventually your arm would tired, you thought, so maybe you could sit on the floor of the tub to hang the arm off the side and do your stuff that way? 

You groaned and slowly rolled your shoulders in frustration. You already dreaded doing this and you haven't even started. These next few weeks were going to be awful. You thought about just going to work anyway and disobeying Grillby's orders, but that would probably make him upset with you, and it might be a bit awkward to see him. But every fiber of your being missed the place already. You decided on the sitting option and slid yourself down on the bottom of the bathtub, using whatever flexibility you had to maneuver around without soaking your bandages. 

The hot water that ran over your skin reminded you of the cozy hug that Grillby gave you after you got home last night. A soft sigh slipped through your water coated lips as you reminisced about the feeling.

__________________________________________________________________

The bar fell a little flat without you. The entire atmosphere just felt empty without your presence around, and it wasn't just Grillby, the entire bar could feel it. It didn't exactly bring down the whole mood, but it put a slight damper on the regular bustle of the place. 

As he rushed around the place, several customers kept asking Grillby where you were. To Grillby's chagrin, the customers knew that the only reason you would ever skip work would be due to a serious matter, so trying to come up with an uplifting lie was difficult. Grillby didn't want the customers to be despondent at the fact you were not only harmed by another human, but because you cared for and protected the name of monsters. 

Telling them you were sick could have been a good response, but he found that it might be hard to believe after the first week got over with. He could tell them there was a death in the family, but the thought of lying about such a serious matter made him uneasy; he couldn't wish that upon anybody let alone lie about it. Eventually, after a lot of careful thought, he simply told them the truth. It was hard to swallow, but the monsters regretfully understood, giving him their best regards in terms of your recovery. The care and thoughtfulness that they sent your way lifted his spirits and certainly made his flame glow brighter for the rest of the evening.

A collective "Sans!" could be heard as the tiny skeleton walked through the door, posture as cocky as usual. He gave a lazy wave and a wink as he shuffled to the bar counter, hopping up on his usual bar stool.  
"hey there, grillbz. what's cookin?" Sans looked up the the bartender with his usual grin plastered on his face, hunched over onto the bar counter. Grillby nodded at the skeleton and swiftly flipped a bottle of ketchup his way from a newly stocked condiment shelf. The small monster didn't take it right away. Sans stalled a few moments, staring right at Grillby, his eyes sketchy, like he was trying to read something on Grillby's face, but eventually he reached his hand up and grabbed the bottle, squirting some in his mouth before saying anything more. 

After he somehow swallows the ketchup down to his non-existent stomach he looks at Grillby with a smug expression.  
"so. cat's outta the bag huh?"  
"I have no idea what you mean, Sans." Grillby spoke instead of staying silent, which gave away immediately that he did, in fact, know what he meant. Sans promptly straightened himself, nearly falling backwards out of excitement. He could have so much fun with this now that Grillby knew about you.  
"you always were a bad liar, grillby. however, surprisingly, your pants were never on fire. how's that for irony huh, pal?"  
"Ha," he glanced down at the floor as he leaned over the counter as well, "Why does it matter to you, Sans?" Sans' eyes narrowed, peering straight through the big body of fire. The amount of joy he got from this conversation was almost a crime.  
"well, buddy, they're a dear friend. i sure hope you didn't wreck their spirit, cuz you know you'd be toast if you did. honestly, lookit 'em. i'm surprised you haven't jumped their bones already." 

At this Grillby scowled and looked away, small specs of blue glinting on his face and his hair crackling in annoyance. Sans dissolved into laughter as he watched the bartender try to keep his composure.  
"Sans. That is very inappropriate." Grillby's tone was very stern which made the skeleton grow quiet.  
"ah. sorry, grillbz. but really... what did you tell them?" The air suddenly fell somber. If he didn't know better, Grillby actually thought that Sans might be worried about his response. He stared down at the small skeleton and tilted his head. Sans wasn't looking at him, but instead at the bottle in his hand. He looked... hurt?  
"Sans," Grillby placed his hand on Sans' shoulder, "we haven't discussed it yet. I don't know exactly what to say. But they are not ready to have this conversation. However, I can assure you, I did not hurt their feelings." Sans gave a relieved sigh and chuckled halfheartedly, running his free hand over his bony head.  
"heh, okay. you treat them good, alright grillby? they deserve it." Sans smiled at Grillby, but Grillby could tell it was an empty smile. Something was clearly eating at him, but he figured it would be best to leave the conversation for another time, or maybe never at all. 

The rest of the night had an off feeling to it.

____________________________________________________________

The weeks off of work flew by faster than you expected, as did the healing of your wounds. The ones on your arm were a bit red and scarred, but felt better overall. Your hand and eye still had bits of purple and yellow on them, but the bruises had mostly faded away, which meant one thing, you could go back to work. The excitement was palpable as you rushed out of the house just an hour before your shift started. Grillby had visited a couple days before your return and told you that if you needed more time home you could stay off as long as you want, but you refused him as politely as you could, determined to come back as soon as you could. 

You used your bar key, flung open the doors of the bar, and ran to the back and into the kitchen. There, all laundered and freshly pressed, was a new uniform for you to wear. You snatched the outfit in hand and darted to the bathroom to change, fumbling as you tied the matching bow-tie. Your hands were shaking with exhilaration even the buttons on the dress shirt were hard to button. However when it came time for the sleeves you decided to keep them down instead of rolled up, just so the customers wouldn't be bothered by them. You didn't really worry much about the bruises though. They didn't look as severe anymore, so they shouldn't be too put off by it. 

After you were done getting dressed you realized that you hadn't seen your boss when you ran through the bar. You thought for sure he'd be early tonight considering you were back, but you shrugged, maybe he was busy and he'd be here soon.  
You stepped out of the bathroom and walked out from the kitchen, grabbing plates and glasses to be prepared for orders ahead of time out in the main bar room. Placing the glasses down by the tap and the plates behind you by the drinks, you studied the room in front of you, leaning over the bar. The air was familiar, the smokey scent of charred wood and grilled food filled the entire room. The tables glistened under the light of the overhead bulbs shining down on them, creating a glossy glow to radiate off of them. Even without Grillby the bar had an orange/red tinge to it that never faded. Cozy, you thought. The establishment was cozy. And you missed it more than anything in the world. 

The sound of the front door opening startled you out of your fascination. Looking over you recognized the mellow glow of your blazing friend peeking through the crack as he slipped through, not even noticing you were there. A smile stretched on your face from one ear to the other, barely standing still from feeling so jittery.  
"Hey, boss!" You shouted to the other side of the room. The sudden, loud outburst caused him to jump and drop his keys, but his light became more vibrant at the sound of your voice. Grillby was wearing his tight, black pea-coat and some new black work shoes, already dressed in his work clothes. God, you missed him, and that coat always made him look so damn good. As he bent down to pick up his keys you took the time to conceal the blush that pinked your face. When he got back up he started to walk over to you, hand up in the air, waving.  
"Good evening, ______. How are you feeling?"  
"I feel awesome. Just glad to be back at work, y'know?" Grillby chuckled and nodded at you, staring at the radiant smile that wore on your face. He crackled as you beamed, thinking about how nice you looked today in your new uniform. It took you a few moments to catch him, but when you did, you quickly looked away, clearing your throat and giggling nervously. The butterflies were back.

The awkward atmosphere loomed over the two of you for a few more moments before Grillby dismissed himself to set the rest of the place up for when the customers came in that night.

________________________________________________________________________

The night wasn't too overwhelming, but the regulars who noticed that you were back started to get that way. Of course the sentiment was appreciated, but you felt uncomfortable with all of the sudden attention. You wouldn't exactly call yourself a wallflower, and you were friends with most of the monsters that came in, but the constant bombardment of people asking you questions and bothering you about where you've been started to get unnerving. Thankfully, but also unfortunately, a rare patron burst through the door, rescuing you from the current attention, only to be transferred over to him.

"Oh, hello, darlings!" The metallic voice boomed from the silver lips of the one and only Mettaton. He only came through on rare occasions, so you wondered what he wanted with you this time. You quickly scanned the area looking for Grillby, when you found him standing beside you at the counter. He knew that Mettaton meant dragging you away in conversation from at least an hour of work. Grillby nodded at you in understanding and put down whatever he was doing in order to fill your spot while you were occupied with the dazzling robot himself. 

"______, lovely, how are you tonight? Good I hope!" His voice was permanently deep and sultry. You wondered if he always sounded like this or if it was a voice modification that Alphys designed for him. He waltzed up to you, his handsome physique towering over you with his hands on his hips, smiling at you with his perfect, white teeth and his on gleaming eye, the other sheltered underneath his puffy, black hair. Mettaton had this certain charm that you couldn't help but be attracted to. Of course, you didn't feel the same way you felt about Grillby, but there was always some part of you that had wondered what being with Mettaton entailed. However; he was a little too extravagant for your tastes. But those legs...

"Eyes are up here, honey," he said with a wink, leaning over the bar counter, legs outstretched behind him, "I'm here to check up on you, darling. Sans told me everything, but I didn't want to bother with your beauty rest."  
"Oh, sorry. I'm doing fine, Mettaton. Just glad to be back at work." You smiled kindly at him, but Mettaton smirked with another understanding.  
"Oh, darling, I'm sure that's all you're happy about. Have you asked him out yet, or do I have to for you?" 

Well he was quick to the point, wasn't he?

You crossed your arms and made a sassy stance, one you were sure he would appreciate.  
"Mettaton, th-that's not cool. You know I can't. Besides, even if he said yes I'm not sure if I'm... ready for all the stuff a relationship involves."  
"Darling, if you can smooch a ghost, you can smooch your boss. Among other things." He winked yet again. Damn Mettaton and his teasing ways. The red on your face caused him to let out a tinny laugh, bringing his hand up to your arm to comfort your embarrassment.  
"I'm sorry, love, I couldn't help myself! But really, you should get on that. You're irresistible, he'd be a fool to say no." His pupil moved to the corner of his eye, glancing over to the right of you, and he smiled brightly again with a slight sinister tone to it.  
"Well, you think on it, okay, darling? You keep in touch!" He waved you off as he shot himself around and nearly sashayed out the door, greeting his fans with his perfect smile on the way out. 

"Well, that was oddly short...," you whispered to yourself, not noticing the man of fire beside you. He tapped you on the shoulder and spoke something softly to you.  
"After work tonight, come take a walk with me. I'd like to show you something." You didn't quite understand what it could be, but you agreed nonetheless, happy to spend any more time with Grillby. You had a lot to catch up on.

The rest of the night went smoothly, but about halfway through the night you couldn't help but notice that Sans wasn't there this time. 

______________________________________________________________

Work was over and you had closed up the bar, already heading out the door into the snowy night. The temperature wasn't as cold as a winter night would usually be, the wind was stagnant and the clouds overhead were thick and heavy with snow. The sky and the world all around you glowed a faint red from the light bouncing off the ice crystals in the air and on the ground. All and all, it was a very breathtaking scene. 

You were all of a sudden pulled out of your thoughts as a warm hand tugged on your arm, directing you down a certain path behind a house across the street from the bar.  
"Uh, Grillby, are we trespassing? This is someone's home, isn't it?" The flame turned to look at you, glasses steamy from the heat and the cold mixing together, he nodded as he continued to lightly pull you.  
"You're right, this is somebodies home. I'm sure he won't mind if we pass through. Although we'd better be careful, I heard he can be real hot headed sometimes." It clicked within you as soon as the pun hit your ears. You smiled and laughed, steam seeping through your lips as you trailed behind him. You could have sworn that you heard him chuckling along with you.

Behind the home there was a long path that lead far into a set of trees. Since it was dark the image made you uneasy, but Grillby assured you with a gentle squeeze that the path was safe. He guided you down the path, weaving through stray trees and roots that poked out of the ground. Eventually you two came across a small clearing with a cleared concrete path lit by various old gas lamps, and in the distance you noticed a small, snow-free, wooden park bench. For a moment you wondered who kept all the gas lamps lit at night and why the bench was freshly cleaned, but it didn't matter. If you thought the view from the bar was breathtaking then this was so much more. 

"Follow me," Grillby whispered to you, a puff of smoke escaping through his non-existent lips, or, lips that you just assumed were non-existent. You trudged through the bit of snow that separated you from the woods and the park path, and once you reached the concrete path he headed over to the park bench. He gestured for you to sit down, and followed suit shortly after you did. For a few moments he let you gaze around the park, following the path over around behind you which lead to a few bright buildings in the horizon.

"It all is so beautiful isn't it? But... that isn't what I wanted you to see." You swiveled your head back over his way, finding him pointing off into the distance in front of you. Your eyes followed his arm, and off into the distance you saw a large, snow topped mountain in the distance. How you've never noticed this before you didn't know, considering it was just outside the bar and past all the trees in Grillby's backyard. But the view was beautiful and you were speechless.

"That. Is where I came from."

_____________________________________________________________________

Several hours went by as he explained his origins. The place was Mt. Ebott, home of all monsters after they were sealed there from the human monster war. He explained magic and souls and the hope that the monsters had that one day they would get out. They were about to give up their hopes of ever seeing the outside, until Frisk came along and released them all. The stories and tales of the underground amazed you and saddened you, realizing that everyone had waited so long to get out only to be treated with such disrespect. That they weren't welcome. You looked at him with heavy eyes as he spoke about the ancient culture of their people.

"But it was all worth it," he breathed, air puffing out of his what you would assume to be lungs, "all of it was worth it just to see this. Nothing could ever compare to being on the surface." Grillby reflected on all of his memories, each passing like scenes from a film in his head, and his luminosity was intense with happiness. You stared at him lovingly as he drank in all of the sight around him. You were hopeless for this man.

"So," he said, finally bringing his gaze off the mountain and onto you, "can we talk about it?" Confusion flooded your mind, what did he mean?  
"Talk about what?" Grillby didn't answer you. He just looked at you and tilted his head. You knew exactly what he meant.  
"O-oh, Grillby. I don't know..." You had no time to finish your thought when his warm hand laid on top of yours, another bringing your chin over closer to his face. He leaned into you, pressing what you felt were indeed lips onto yours. They were heated just right like a warm mug and soft as a pillow. Your face heated up intensely, and not just because you were close to the flame. His lips lingered on yours, giving you a slight tingling sensation. Shivers ran up your spine and your body started to flood with its own warmth. Eventually he pulled away, face still close to yours, gazing into your eyes.

"Can we talk about it now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;D


	12. UPDATE

Hey y'all! I just wanted to give a quick update with what's going on with this story.

It has been a long while since anything has been posted and I am so very sorry for that. It will be continued at some point in the near future, but I am currently sick and have been bombarded with sudden responsibilities and various other work junk. This story WILL be updated, hopefully soon. So for those of you who enjoy it, you don't have to worry about it being discontinued. 

That being said, I'm sorry if this suddenly being at the top of the page got your hopes up for a new chapter. I feel like rather than letting the story sit here gathering dust while waiting for the next chapter, it was better to let you guys know what was going on. 

Love ya!

\- Nat


	13. UPDATE: It’s been a long time!

Hey guys, 

For all of those who remember me, I did this fic about.. well, it’ll be two years I believe in January(?) and I felt pretty guilty for letting it kind of die. I had a bunch of life thrown at me. My job got harder, I lost a friend and coworker of mine, my boyfriend and I have gone through a rough time and writing a romance didn’t really feel right in the moment. But some positives happened too! I got over my fear of driving, I have my own car now, got my license. Five years late, but. Better late than never I suppose. I’m enjoying my job, things are looking up with me and my boyfriend. I’ve been working on my physical health and my mental health issues as well, and I have never felt better. It’s such a relief when that huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. I finally feel like me again, and I’m thankful for that..

So anyway, to the real point of this update, I’ve been thinking about continuing this for a LONG time. But I keep rereading it and it just.. doesn’t sound right. I’m thinking it could be better. So for those of you who are (still even) interested, not only will I be continuing the story, I’m going to revamp the previous chapters a little bit. I feel like they’re too vague or they don’t have the right transition, or they just end ubruptly. Not enough detail. Not enough dialogue. Not enough.. FEELING. I mostly wrote these at 2am when I couldn’t sleep and my thoughts weren’t as sharp as they could have been. Plus, it’s getting snowy and cold up here in New York, so what other time to write a story set in Winter than now! Now I know nearly anyone’s biggest critic is themself, but. I can recognize when I need work, and I feel that this is one of them, considering a decent amount of people liked it, I might as well fix it and make it better. 

But anyway, enough rambling.

TL;DR- I will be continuing this story and also sprucing up the previous chapters for other reader enjoyment. ALSO, when/if the smut comes along, there will be two different NSFW tagged chapters, so that way if you’re uncomfortable/not into it, they will be skippable, and more fluff will ensue. :) 

\- Nat


	14. On Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After showing you a special place behind his house, Grillby kissed you, admitting there might be something between you after all. This chapter is about the aftermath of such.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it’s been a long time, there will be more to come, I hope you liked this chapter! I know it was short but I’m back to writing it and I’m excited to hear what you think!

The faint heat of Grillby’s kiss still lingered on your lips. Wild thoughts were rushing through your head too fast to comprehend, your brain was hazy, your stomach tied in knots, and your lungs breathing heavily with anxiety, huffing out big bursts of steamy breath as you tried to calm your nerves. _Did that really just happen? This isn’t a dream?_ You thought to yourself. You stiffly turned away bringing your hand up to your mouth, face burning and fingers trembling. Grillby sat there watching, his face a light hue of blue, waiting for you to say something. His nerves got the better of him and he leaned back away from you.  
“I’m so sorry, I hope it wasn’t too forward of me, I just thought it was the right moment!” His voice was a little louder than it should have been, and he ran his hand through his hair-like flame, running down the back of his neck, squeezing gently to quell his anxiousness. 

You brought your hand down onto the bench, feeling the cold sting of the winter chill imbedded in the park bench. Your eyes closed tightly and you drew in a deep breath and let it out in front of you. The steam wafted up into the air, glistening in the light of the old lanterns lighting the pathways in front of you. You let the nerves run through you, letting them work their way out. You weren’t going to let them ruin this for you. You turned back towards Grillby, watching him as he panicked. A hesitant giggle escaped your throat and shrugged. 

“Yeah. I guess we can.” You smiled a bright smile and ran a hand through your hair. His dim light started to glow a bit brighter and his flames crackled. “Well...,” he said quietly, “I’m glad.” Despite what the two of you said, no more words were exchanged for a while afterwards. The night around you remained silent, and the both of you seemed to watch anything else in the view around you. There was an unspoken feeling that you both wanted to sit in, the feeling that anything said could shift the moment that took place. Right there, the scene was perfect, and neither of you wanted to disrupt it, enjoying what had happened, but also scared of finally pursuing these feelings. 

In the midst of the silence, a small, white spec drifted in front of your face. A few moments passed, then another. Then another. Then a few more. You watched the clearing as the snow began gently falling, creating a shimmer across the park, and looking into the distance you saw it falling on the frosted tip of Mt. Ebott. However; no matter how beautiful it was, the snow falling on the skin of your face, hands and arms began to freeze you. Ever since the night your thick winter coat was torn apart and with your time spent at home in recovery, you forgot you even needed one. In fact, you were so excited to return to work you didn’t even notice you needed one. All you had right now were your work clothes. It wasn’t that far to the bar you knew, but it would be a decently timed walk back to the house. A shiver trailed itself up your spine, and you brought your hands up to grab the opposite arms in an attempt to scrunch all the heat into your body. It’s not that Grillby wasn’t warm, he was quite the source of heat. But it wasn’t enough to keep you as warm as you’d like, and getting closer right now would be a little awkward after the recent events. 

You let out a quick groan and lifted yourself off the bench, grabbing Grillby’s attention away from the dim white canvas of the area. “Well, it’s kind of late. I uh... I know we said we’d talk about it, but. This. Just this, was nice. Let’s leave it at that and take things slow?” You suggested, not only trying to mask your rush to get out of the cold, but to give your heart a rest for the night. “Oh!” He followed suit and got up from the bench. He could tell by your folded arms and rosy nose that you must have gotten too cold from being out too long. He lifted a finger as if to tell you to wait. Your brows furrowed and you weren’t sure what he was doing, until he started to unbutton his black pea coat he was wearing. Eyes widening in shock, you brought your hands an waves them wildly in front of you. “Oh, Grillby, no, I’ll be fine you really don’t need to-“ As you spoke, he interrupted you with his own playful voice, sliding the jacket off his shoulders and draping it over his arm. “Oh, please. I am literally on fire. I can keep myself warm with less than this. You, on the other hand, lost your coat, and it is cold.” He handed you the thick wool pea coat and tilted his head, looking as if one eyebrow - if he even had any - was cocked up. For a moment, you stared at him with reluctance on your face, but another chill crept up on you, and you hesitantly grasped at the jacket. Grabbing the collar and swinging it around, you slipped on the coat and buttoned it up. It was warm since it had been on his body, and it was so long, it came down to about knee length. It was then you truly realized how tall he was, or rather, how small you were. 

You twisted your body to look at the coat, looking it all up and down. It looked a little goofy the way it fit on your body. It smelled a bit like a wood fire. A slight scent of smoke embedded in the fabric of the coat. The arms were a little long, hell the whole coat was a little long, but, it was good enough, and as you wiggled your arms out of the sleeves, you brushed a strand of hair from your face. “Thanks, boss.” You said sheepishly. “You’re welcome, _________.” Grillby replied genuinely. He turned a bit, looking back at the mountain in the distance, and shoved his hands in the pockets of his work slacks. The two of you began walking back toward the front of the house, nothing but the sound of crunching snow accompanying you the journey back. When you stopped at the front of his home, he nodded to you and lifted his hand in a wave. You returned the gesture and gave him a regular ‘see you tomorrow’, and he said the same. Grillby watched as you walked off, fiddling with the edges of the jacket sleeves, and he watched as you got frustrated with them and ultimately shoved your hands in your pockets, a faint grunt could be heard down the street from you. He giggled and shook his head as he reached for the doorknob to his humble home. As he entered, he removed his fancy work shoes and unbuttoned and removed his vest, opening up the white undershirt a bit to get comfortable. He threw the vest on the back of his couch and sat down at a small desk he kept in a small corner of his den. While nobody really visited, those who did didn’t know that he had secretly labeled this tiny desk area his “study”. He thought it was silly, but everyone deserves some area to themselves, and for him, a small study was better than no study.

As Grillby lowered himself into his chair at the desk, he grabbed the remote he kept at the side and turned on the tv in front of the couch. It was already set to a music channel. It was a variety one, one of the kind that would play all genres. He had been trying to listen to the music that humans liked, and so far, everything was a little bit pleasing. However tonight, he wasn’t paying attention much to the sounds of the tv. He turned back around and placed the remote down on the desk. To the left of the remote, and right in front of him there was a laptop that he began to boot up. Once ready, he typed in his password and went right into the search engine. Grillby had remembered that the human holiday Christmas was coming up, and he had to start shopping now before it got too late to do anything. While he needed to find a gift for everyone, something perfect popped into his mind, and his fingers began typing away, knowing exactly what he needed to get you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it’s been a long time, there will be more to come, I hope you liked this chapter! I know it was short but I’m back to writing it and I’m excited to hear what you think!


End file.
